Some 22 years ago, Hospital  HIMA-Pablo, the Puerto hospital conglomerate, saw healthcare’s future involving the advantages of technology in the administration of hospitals, specifically electronic health records (EHR), for a more streamlined and efficient operation that would benefit the quality of healthcare services that hospitals and clinics provide to patients.

 

The institution was so right on the money that not only did it successfully implement the technology in its hospitals but also marketed the product it developed to other hospitals on the island, launching SabiaMed Corp. in 2004 as an independent company focused on developing technological solutions for hospital administration. The company’s main product is ClinNext, an EHR solution that is used in many Puerto Rico hospitals and, since its creation in 1997, has developed right alongside the changing needs of the industry.

 

“This application was developed 100 percent in Puerto Rico with the collaboration and input of a wide range of healthcare professionals, such as physicians, nurses, radiologists and lab technicians, so it addressed the specific issues of the island’s hospitals,” said Efrén Santiago, executive vice president of SabiaMed, and a 20 year veteran in consulting and sales in application business solutions and healthcare industries in the private and public sectors.

 

“The vision and talent of our team is also reflected in the fact that through time we have developed this platform that addresses changes in programming, language and technology in general of the products, which keeps it constantly relevant with the latest trends in the market and in the industry.”

 

ClinNext10 is certified as in Stage 3 of Meaningful Use by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), which falls within the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

 

The ONC was legislatively mandated in the Health Information Technology for Economic & Clinical Health Act (Hitech Act) of 2009, according to the agency’s website, and “is the principal federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information.” Technology, such as EHRs, has to receive approval by the ONC through several levels, or stages, of compliance. The first stage is acquiring the product, the second is compliance with minimum use guidelines, and the third stage involves issues such as interoperability and the ability to connect with multiple providers and services and different levels.

 

ClinNext10 covers and allows for interaction or communication between all areas of the hospital or medical clinic, including emergency rooms, laboratories, registry, medical records, floor stations, pharmacies, radiology and billing. Because the product’s functionalities can easily be integrated with other products in the market, SabiaMed is able to make alliances with other providers that might not have these modules.

 

“Our success also lies in the fact that to keep ClinNext in the forefront, we rely on feedback from healthcare professionals, from doctors and nurses and hospital administrators, regarding how effective ClinNext is, and the areas we can en further,”

 

Santiago said.