Press Release: WebReach, Inc. Announces Mirth Enterprise(TM) and Mirth Pico(TM) appliances based on Open Source Mirth HL7 middleware, deliver simplified, black-box data exchange at Dramatically Reduced Cost.
WebReach, Inc., a leading creator of open source Healthcare Information Technology solutions, today announced the launch of a new line of Health Information Network Appliances(tm) running the Mirth open source software, and backed by a full range of support and deployment services. Mirth products and services allow healthcare organizations and solutions developers to achieve interoperability with existing networks at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional health information interface solutions.
�The data integration services required to connect healthcare information systems are complex, so the need for messaging appliances to simplify these solutions is strong,� said Jon Teichrow, president and chief executive officer of WebReach, Mirth�s creator. �Our new Health Information Network Appliances simplify these efforts, freeing healthcare IT staffs to focus on automating other business and clinical systems. The new Mirth appliances � combined with Mirth open source software � enable organizations to quickly upgrade the healthcare enterprise with dedicated HL7 messaging infrastructure,� added Teichrow.
The new Mirth appliances, working in conjunction with open source Mirth software, can fast-track interoperability for RHIOs, hospitals, clinics, labs and other healthcare organizations, and come to market at a time when those focused on connecting healthcare communities are showing increased interest in open source solutions. “Dedicated healthcare messaging appliances advance the objective of providing secure, reliable, and connected health information systems,” continued Teichrow. “Hospitals, clinics, labs and pharmacies need to share up-to-date patient information and dedicated appliances will provide the interoperability building blocks needed to connect them efficiently and non-invasively with existing infrastructure. Healthcare messaging appliances also enable health information technology professionals to address solutions further up the application stack,” added Teichrow.
The small-footprint WebReach P1000 Mirth Appliance (�Mirth Pico�) is a low-cost HL7 messaging device designed specifically for point-of-care environments. Mirth Pico can be placed within point-of-care network environments pre-configured to interface with existing transports and applications. Mirth Pico can accelerate and simplify deployment of interfaces between labs and physician offices, serve as gateways between CPOE systems and EMRs, and provide last-mile connectivity for RHIO data-sharing architectures.
The WebReach E1000 Enterprise Mirth Appliance (�Mirth Enterprise�) is a rack-mountable, secure, and purpose-built HL7 messaging device capable of HL7 message translation and mapping across multiple heterogeneous health information systems. Mirth Enterprise can be used for cost-effective HL7 enablement of high-end legacy healthcare systems, serve as a high-speed HL7 message aggregator, or coupled with Mirth Pico appliances to form secure, hub and spoke messaging solutions.
Mirth has quickly become the most widely downloaded open source software for health information exchange, achieving over 5,000 downloads in the four months since its initial launch. Today�s introduction of Mirth Enterprise and Mirth Pico coincide with the release of enhanced functionality in Mirth 1.3. �Mirth 1.3 is designed to meet the growing momentum in use within the Mirth community, and demonstrates WebReach�s commitment to working closely with and supporting the healthcare community,� said WebReach�s Mirth Community Manager Chris Lang.
WebReach provides a full range of support services for Mirth users. These services include priority defect resolution, priority updates and patches, unlimited email support, and business-day phone support. The Mirth support pack includes core Mirth interface engine support plus full support for channels � the custom filtering, transformation and endpoint code key to HL7 message mapping and delivery � developed by the Mirth team.
For those organizations that wish to fast-track an interoperability project, but lack the resources to make it happen, WebReach has expanded its professional services offerings to include Mirth interface development, available on a low fixed-price basis.
�Many healthcare organizations and communities share the goal of establishing information exchanges to support a safer, more efficient, patient-centered healthcare delivery system, but have simply lacked the time, resources, or expertise to succeed on an economic basis,� said Teichrow. �We�ve built the Mirth line of open source-based solutions with this challenge in mind. Organizations deploying Mirth out-of-the-box, service-backed solutions can work around their current infrastructure and have an information exchange up and running within weeks, rather than months or years � and at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions,� added Teichrow.