Cerner to integrate PHR data in records

Cerner has partnered with digital health platform Validic in a deal to integrate patient-generated data into its patient portals and electronic patient records.

The agreement represents the latest attempt by clinical systems suppliers to connect with the growing personal health records market and the data being generated by wearables and other personal devices.

Validic, an American company, provides a cloud-based technology platform connecting patient-recorded data from digital health applications, devices and wearables to key healthcare companies.

The company says the partnership will bridge the data gap between personal and public health data and provide valuable insights to improve care treatment plans, allow better population management and engagement, and enable improved connectivity across care pathways.

The deal will allow clinical, fitness, wellness and nutritional data generated by patients to be integrated into Cerner’s HealtheLife patient portal. The data can also be sent to a patient’s electronic patient record for nurses and physicians to view, provided their consent is given.

Brian Carter, Cerner’s senior director and general manager for personal health, said the deal is part of the company’s work to “provide access to actionable data on a regular basis, not just what’s collected when someone goes to the doctor”.

“Given Validic is device- and platform-agnostic, our alignment provides a much broader reach to clinical and wellness data to help propel our digital health strategy to healthcare organisations we serve, including the acceleration of remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and wellness initiatives.”

Ryan Beckland, Validic’s chief executive and co-founder, said the company’s deal with Cerner will help it to “bridge the data gap” between healthcare organisations and the clinical devices, fitness wearables and patient applications that can provide them with “actionable insights and in-depth patient engagement”.

“Working with a leader like Cerner, we are able to help deliver its connected health strategies into the hands of clients, and help fuel the exciting industry transformation to more accountable, value-based healthcare delivery.”

A Cerner spokeswoman told EHI News the partnership will have "no immediate impact" for the UK, as it is focused on the US market with longer-term plans for other countries still being defined.

Validic provides solutions for a wide range of healthcare organisations, including health systems and providers, pharmaceutical groups, research organisations and employer groups.

Cerner’s announcement comes on the back of a deal between Emis and Apple last September, with Emis using the Apple HealthKit platform to create a personal health record integrated with its Emis Web GP and clinical system.

However, there is widespread acknowledgement amongst wearable technology advocates that it will be a number of years before devices such as the Apple Watch – and the data they collect – can make a real impact on mainstream healthcare.