[Ed. note: This piece has been updated to include comments from Cerner and Zoom about the initiative.]

Zoom Video Communications Inc. announced this week that it had launched an integration option with Cerner Corp.'s electronic health record platform.   

The initiative, currently available to beta customers, is aimed at facilitating easier access to telehealth from within Cerner's EHR.  

"With virtual care here to stay, providers must focus on delivering a seamless experience for telehealth visits – one that's easy, intuitive and frictionless for patients, and secure, trusted and simple from a clinical standpoint," wrote Zoom Global Healthcare Lead Ron Emerson in a post about the announcement.  

WHY IT MATTERS

Cerner users at hospitals, health systems, physician offices and clinics will be able to launch secure Zoom visits directly within EHR workflows, the companies say.

On the provider side, this includes functionality such as:  

• In-chart notifications when the patient has entered the appointment waiting room.
• The option to join scheduled sessions using a link within the patient's Cerner PowerChart.
• Test result sharing and documentation completion while in the Zoom meeting.
• The ability to send an invite link to additional participants, like family members, interpreters and other care providers, so they can join the session.  

Clinicians can also enter and exit a visit without disconnecting the session, enabling continuity of care among multiple caregivers.  

Meanwhile, patients can join video visits through a link sent to their email, with options to launch via a patient portal link or text message in the near future.  

Zoom notes that patients do not need an app or a Zoom account to use the telehealth option.  

According to Cerner, interested clients should work directly with Zoom to license the application; Zoom representatives said the company expected general availability in the first half of 2022.

THE LARGER TREND  

Cerner has historically offered in-EHR telehealth services via Amwell, in addition to a company-native solution aimed at rural health systems. 

The vendor told Healthcare IT News after initial publication that Amwell continues to be a strategic relationship for Cerner, as its capabilities are integrated into both provider and patient-based workflows. Zoom used publicly available APIs to enable the launch of its video experience form within Cerner's EHR.

"The ability of third parties to integrate with our platforms is key to fostering innovation and collaboration to improve interoperability and advance healthcare," said a Cerner spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Zoom also has an integrated option with Cerner's competitor in the EHR market, Epic.

One healthcare system told Healthcare IT News this past year that the partnership had enabled the facility to continue providing behavioral telehealth to children during the height of the pandemic.  

ON THE RECORD  

"Zoom’s ability to integrate with popular electronic health record platforms, including Cerner and Epic, makes it even easier to schedule, join and document telehealth visits directly in a patient's EHR," wrote Emerson.  

Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Twitter: @kjercich
Email: kjercich@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.