UNMC, GenomOncology partner for EHR breakthrough

The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine and GenomOncology today announced the launch of the first discrete genomic results reporting system using the HL7 2.5 format.

James Campbell, M.D.

HL7 (Health Level Seven International) is the most common communication method to move health care data between systems and is used by essentially every hospital in the U.S. and Canada to communicate laboratory test results between electronic health record (EHR) systems.

The system will feed several cancer center output sources with discrete genomic variant data points. The data will be fed directly to next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels, the cancer center’s research database (called Nebraska Cares), and eventually, into the EHR.

“Clinicians need concise, relevant information returned quickly, so that they can treat their patients with the best options available,” said Scott Campbell, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of informatics for the Public Health Laboratory and the Pathology Laboratory at the Buffett Cancer Center. “By providing easy-to-interpret genomic results to clinicians as rapidly and accurately as possible, we strive to support the highest level of oncology patient care.”

Dr. Campbell said the new system already has gone live in the Buffett Cancer Center’s research database and is being tuned to go live in its EHR system. Because of the common international technologies in the system, Dr. Campbell said it will be compatible with any health system in the country.

James Campbell, M.D., professor of internal medicine for UNMC, also played a key role in developing the breakthrough system. Named a fellow in the American College of Medical Informatics in 2012, Dr. Campbell has devoted more than 30 years of his career to development of a standardized EHR system and has been recognized internationally and in Nebraska for his efforts. He is no relation to Dr. Scott Campbell.

“We want everybody to use this technology,” Dr. Scott Campbell said. “It’s available free of charge for non-commercial use if you have a license with the National Library of Medicine.”

Dr. Scott Campbell and Manuel J. Glynias, founder and CEO of GenomOncology, presented on the new technology at the Cancer Informatics for Cancer Centers Conference (CI4CC) in Hawaii on April 3. In addition, both the Campbells attended and/or presented at three separate technology conferences in London earlier this month.