Merck Manuals, an electronic medical reference firm, is integrating its provider reference and patient education content into the Allscripts electronic health records platforms: Allscripts Sunrise, Allscripts Professional EHR and Allscripts TouchWorks EHR.

The companies designed the integration to be seamless and simple, activated by an HL7-compliant “Infobutton.” As such, the materials are readily available to clinicians within the Allscripts EHR workflow. The Merck programs have automatically been authorized for all Allscripts clients. The client healthcare organizations just need to activate the programs and enroll their users to make use of the Merck content.

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“Partnering with Allscripts builds on our ongoing commitment to disseminate authoritative medical information through content-sharing arrangements with innovators in the healthcare sector,” said Michael Wisniewski, strategic partnership manager for Merck Manuals. “We are continuously looking to build relationships with leading companies and other influential organizations that will expand the reach of our health information resources, which we make available to our partners at no charge.”

The provider reference content contains current information on the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options for hundreds of diseases. Clinicians can share this information written in a language specifically for patients. The patient education material can be electronically sent to patients through the Allscripts EHR platforms or printed out and handed to them.

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Merck Manuals content for providers and patients is available in English, Spanish and eight additional languages.

Merck & Co. published the original Merck Manual for doctors and pharmacists in 1899. The book for professionals is currently in its 19th edition. The first edition of The Merck Manual of Medical Information developed specifically to address the need for understandable medical information among consumers was introduced in 1997. That book made The New York Times best-sellers list.

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com