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| Sun Microsystems unveils new composite application Sun Microsystems, Inc. the creator and leading advocate of Java technology, today announced the availability of iProvider Global Identifier, Sun's newest composite application-based services offering targeted for the healthcare industry. The iProvider Global Identifier, based on Sun's Java Integration Suite (formerly the SeeBeyond ICAN Suite), helps to enable the integration and intelligent matching of multiple provider identification numbers, stored in various formats and spread across disparate healthcare application systems, to a common industry standard format. Currently, healthcare providers routinely bill under a variety of names and identifiers not generally known to their patients, making validation and verification of services difficult and inefficient. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) recognized the need for a unique identifier for individuals as an essential component of administrative simplification. Being able to identify physicians uniquely is critical to both the delivery and the administration of health care services. The identifier, known as the National Provider Index (NPI), is a unique health identification number that will be assigned to healthcare providers to simplify communication between providers and health plans, and to help reduce the potential for fraud and abuse. This 10-digit identifier, which is sanctioned by state and federal law as a part of HIPAA, will replace all other forms of identifiers for healthcare providers, including the Unique Physician Identification Number, Medicaid Provider Number, Medicare Provider Number and others. The NPI format compliance deadline is currently set for May 23, 2007. The Sun solution will play a key role in helping healthcare customers to simplify electronic transmission of health-related standard transactions while helping them meet their HIPAA requirements in a cost-conscious and timely manner. "iProvider Global Identifier showcases the value of composite application technology in transforming existing IT investments into responsive business solutions, in this case, to help reduce fraud and abuse, while improving communications across the industry, " added Wayne Owens, vice president, Healthcare Integration Platforms, Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun's iProvider Global Identifier solution aims to assist customers in reducing complexity in the health system by creating a single, secure source of provider contact details for the accurate and scalable mapping of multiple provider IDs into a single NPI. This application helps to provide timely and up-to-date contact information to enable fast, accurate electronic communication between providers, thereby streamlining claim and healthcare delivery processes and improving clinical communications and decision making. Additionally, the iProvider Global Identifier helps healthcare customers facilitate electronic referrals, electronic provider notification distribution and automated health alerts from Health Departments to providers for outbreaks and epidemics. The iProvider Global Identifier can help health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, hospitals, nursing homes, clinical laboratories, pharmacies, physicians, dentists and nurses address today's technology needs. To learn more about the iProvider Global Identifier, interested parties are invited to view the co-presented Healthcare Informatics and Sun Microsystems webinar, "National Provider Identifier - From Burden to Best Practices" on December 6, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. EST. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Networking News :: home page |