Randolph Medical Center, a rural critical access hospital in Roanoke, Ala., has launched a project to set standards and create a model for how non-affiliated hospitals can exchange patient data.

Using technology from Glenwood, Minn.-based Dairyland Healthcare Solutions, Randolph Medical Center plans on having an operational data exchange by February 2009.

The project is funded through a $1.2 million Critical Access Hospital Health Information Grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Alabama Department of Public Health will administer the grant between Randolph Medical Center and East Alabama Medical Center, which is about 50 miles away and is the primary transfer hospital for Randolph.

As a small rural hospital, Randolph's role is to stabilize cardiac cases and transfer them quickly to East Alabama Medical Center, a full-service hospital with total cardiac capabilities. The initial goal of the data exchange is for East Alabama cardiologists to have real-time access to lab results for patients who are en route to their Emergency Room.