Oct. 27, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Maggie Gunter, PhD, president of the New Mexico Health Information Collaborative (NMHIC), announced today that the organization has been appointed as the state's official health information exchange (HIE) by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

NMHIC will create the health information exchange infrastructure to connect New Mexico's health care providers through a contract with its technology partner, MedPlus, the healthcare information technology subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX). MedPlus will connect New Mexico's health care providers to a centralized network containing critical electronic patient information, using its Centergy(TM) suite of integrated technology solutions.

State-wide HIEs are critical for building a Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). To ensure this continuity of care, NMHIC will enable health care information to be linked electronically across organizations, both regionally and nationally, and to move clinical information among disparate health care information systems, including physician offices. MedPlus has connected some of the nation's largest HIEs, including one third of the original NHIN demonstration projects, one of which is NMHIC.

"New Mexico is a leader in the use of health information technology, and HIE is key to our success," said Governor Bill Richardson. "The New Mexico Health Information Collaborative has already built a solid foundation during the last several years, thus making it an ideal choice to help move us closer to the goal of quality health care for all at affordable prices."

NMHIC partner health care providers will have access to a centralized network of important information such as lab results, patient record summaries, radiology images, discharge summaries, medication history and claims data. Several leading New Mexico health care providers are already participating in NMHIC, including: Presbyterian Healthcare Services, TriCore Reference Laboratory, Holy Cross Hospital and Albuquerque Ambulance.

"It is an honor that NMHIC has been selected to serve as the state's HIE and to help drive critical data exchange," said Maggie Gunter, PhD, president of NMHIC. "Our goal is to enable New Mexico health care organizations to deliver more efficient and timely patient care by providing streamlined access to vital information related to different aspects of the care process.