Allscripts Developer Program Partner, Welch Allyn, Achieves Certification For RetinaVue Network For Allscripts TouchWorks EHR

Allscripts Developer Program Partner, Welch Allyn, Achieves Certification for RetinaVue Network for Allscripts TouchWorks EHR

Welch Allyn, a leading medical diagnostic device company, announced that its RetinaVue Network application is now certified for users of Allscripts TouchWorks EHR through the award-winning Allscripts Developer Program (ADP). RetinaVue, enables Allscripts TouchWorks EHR users to acquire and quality-check retinal images at the point of care and then send them to specialists for over-read.

Through an integration built with the Allscripts Open APIs, RetinaVue customers are now able to seamlessly order the RetinaVue exam and receive the resulting expert diagnostic reports directly into the patient’s electronic health record. RetinaVue is the first teleretinal solution to become an Allscripts Certified Application dedicated exclusively to the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults ⁽¹⁾. With early detection, the sight-threatening disease can be treated and the risk of severe vision loss decreased by more than 90 percent ⁽²⁾. Unfortunately, nearly half of all diabetic patients do not get the recommended annual retinal exam ⁽³⁾ due to either lack of access to specialist care or lack of compliance with their doctor’s referral. By improving the access and convenience of screening, compliance rates have been increased as much as 100 percent in less than 12 months ⁽⁴⁾. Increased compliance permits detection of disease in its earliest stage—increasing the number of patients that receive timely treatment to prevent severe vision loss.

RetinaVue Highlights

• Retinal images are acquired and quality-checked at the point of care and then sent to board-certified, fellowship-trained retinal specialists for interpretation
• The specialist generates a complete diagnostic report, which is securely and seamlessly transmitted back into the patient electronic medical record because of Allscripts Open platform
• The network enables retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy as part of a routine primary or convenient care visit
• RetinaVue is available throughout the United States and covered by most major health plans

With the integration into Allscripts TouchWorks EHR, the RetinaVue solution enables remote diabetic retinopathy screening and analysis in primary care and other convenient settings.

“Participating in the Allscripts Developer Program enables us to help our customers by delivering solutions for early detection of diabetic retinopathy to reduce risk of vision loss into primary care settings, where they can have the largest impact on improving population health while also lowering the cost of care,” said Chuck Witkowski, Director, Teleretinal Imaging Solutions at Welch Allyn. “Our goal is to enable cost-effective screening and materially increase the proportion of diabetic patients that receive an effective retinal screen, and ultimately help save the vision of some portion of the 382 million people living with diabetes globally.”

“Allscripts has had open API’s since 2007. We created the Allscripts Developer Program to speed time from innovation to implementation for our clients,” said Stanley Crane, Chief Innovation Officer and General Manager, Open Business Unit, Allscripts. “Because of our Open APIs “Welch Allyn’s latest integration with RetinaVue was completed faster than any other product line they’ve integrated with Allscripts in the past, and we’re proud that this important retinal screening is now available as an innovative option to our TouchWorks EHR clients to help eradicate preventable vision loss associated with retinopathy.”

More information about RetinaVue can be found on the Allscripts Application Store. Developers are encouraged to sign up for a free account on the Allscripts Developer Portal for access to its Open API and to start building innovations for Allscripts users.

About Welch Allyn, Inc.
Since 1915 Welch Allyn has brought a unique perspective to developing diagnostic solutions by combining pragmatic knowledge with a visionary spirit of innovation and ongoing improvement. As a leading global manufacturer of physical examination instruments and accessories and EMR-connected vital signs and cardiac monitoring solutions, the company has a steadfast commitment to delivering superlative medical products, services and solutions that help healthcare professionals provide better care for their patients. Welch Allyn is headquartered in Skaneateles Falls, N.Y. (USA) and employs more than 2,600 people in 26 different countries. For more information, visit www.welchallyn.com

¹⁾ Ruta LM, Magliano DJ, Lemesurier R, Taylor HR, Zimmet PZ, Shaw JE. Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Type 2 diabetes in developing and developed countries. Diabet Med 2013; 30: 387-398.
²⁾ American Academy of Ophthalmology Retina/Vitreous Panel. Preferred Practice Pattern Guidelines. Diabetic Retinopathy. San Francisco, CA: American Academy of Ophthalmology; 2008:7.
³⁾ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. Health Indicators Warehouse.
⁴⁾ Garg S, Jani PD, Kshirsagar AV, King B, Chaum E. Telemedicine and Retinal Imaging for Improving Diabetic Retinopathy Evaluation. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Oct 1:1-2