The VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® is Cogon Systems, LLC. (Cogon) underlying software platform.


The VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® seamlessly integrates with providers such as hospital’s existing information infrastructure. Healthcare data from these legacy systems is compiled and consolidated into a distinct database for each provider organization. That information is then accessible via the following device:

• Desktop computers (via a Web Portal)
• Laptop computers(via LAN or wireless)
• Tablet PCs
• Personal Digital Assistants(PDAs)
• 2nd Generation Smart Phones
  

By being able to assimilate HL7 as well as non-HL7 data, the VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® can be a comprehensive data repository, and it can also be configured to be the "mobile information extension" of other information systems such as Cerner or McKesson. Institutions do not need to replace their existing information systems in order to take advantage of the VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK®.


Virtual Health Network®
Cogon Systems, LLC. facilitates health information exchanges through its VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK platform, where facilities have the ability to free their information and share only what they wish with the facilities and providers that make sense, while also allowing them to bring relevant medical records from outside their facility in – all with the goal of providing better patient care. Cogon Systems provides a solution that will find, compile, and present this data to caregivers in a manner that will allow them to make the best decisions possible at the moment of care. From Cogon's successes with the South Florida Healthcare Information Initiative (SFHII) in Miami, to its ground-breaking effort to exchange health information between multiple, civilian provider organizations with military providers in Pensacola. Cogon is uniquely positioned to provide a platform that is flexible and scalable to connect health information exchanges.

Health Information Exchange

VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® for Health Information Exchanges
Cogon Systems, LLC. can help raise the level of patient care throughout entire communities by helping providers, payors and stakeholders share data under the auspices of a Health Information Exchange. The VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® is Cogon Systems’ health information exchange module that leverages healthcare data from multiple sources to provide a complete record of care for patients.

The VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® uses a “federated, hybrid” model for health information exchange. This means the information from different sources will not be consolidated into a single database, but will only be transiently collated together when requested by the end-user.

The VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® consists of the following major components:

• A Master Patient Index/Record Locator Service which has the ability to link and index disparate records from multiple data sources.
• A Web Based Portal with a user interface which has been modeled after popular email applications and presents consolidated clinical records in a single view.
• A Communications Module that has been developed such that additional functionalities can be attached via web services, thus supporting The Connecting for Health Common Framework principles for sharing of health information at the state and national level.


The Community VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® possesses the following features:

• Consolidated patient & clinical information across healthcare providers and payers
• Able to launch 3rd party applications as embedded iframes
• Utilizes standard web services communication protocols
• Short implementation timeframe
• Scalable from small community efforts to large state or regional healthcare information sharing entities
• Low operational costs due to use of commercial off the shelf software applications
• Designed to meet the standards and policies set forth in The Connecting for Health Common Framework initiative

The Cogon Systems, LLC VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® Is built on a leading edge architecture that is secure, extensible, scalable, and reliable. Users communicate with the Cogon VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® via internal networks, cellular wide area networks, WIFI, and secure Internet connections. The Cogon VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® is based on a deployable, portable, and supportable platform. The Cogon VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® is database agnostic and will grow or scale with your organization.

Using standard CCR and HL7 data interface protocols, the VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® collects and processes data produced by the hospital's various legacy systems. The proprietary data and rules-based parser engine within the server then populates relevant patient and hospital data into a comprehensive relational database.

The knowledge engine of the VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® then tailors the physician/users' view of data to only those patient records they are authorized to see. This approach provides for the integrity and privacy of patient information as well as ensuring users are not inundated with information they do not need.


Fig. 1 - Virtual Health Network Architecture.

The The VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® client components are the actual user interfaces where the healthcare providers will view patient information. VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® currently provides multiple avenues of accessing information. Desktop or laptop PCs attached to the hospital network can use our browser interface. This is a Web-enabled method that uses a standard browser to allow the user to navigate, manage, and display relevant patient information. Our mobile delivery interface utilizes a handheld computer such as a PocketPC™ or Apple iPhone and provides a very robust capability. Using proprietary software and applications, the mobile interface implements various technologies to connect to the VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® server. In our disconnected or sometimes connected model infrared (IR) data transfers can be accomplished using network-intelligent IR devices that are easily and inexpensively deployed throughout the facility. In our connected model mobile devices equipped with cellular wide area networking or WIFI (802.11 a/b/g/n) may access the system directly via the devices Internet browser.

Cogon Systems, LLC. views security as the most important aspect of the VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK®. To protect patient information and to remain HIPAA-compliant as data flows throughout the system, the VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® implements the following security measures:

Access Controls: All access to patient data requires user authentication. Additionally, mobile clients can be configured to employ a "3 strike" logon policy at the application level, erasing all data on the mobile device with three failed logon attempts.

Cryptography: All mobile databases are encrypted using unique keys for each database, all passwords are hashed, and all data synchronizations and web browser sessions between server and clients is secured using 128-bit secure socket layer (SSL) connections.

Secure Remote Access: Support is provided using IKE/IPSec VPN policies, employing AES-256 encryption and Diffie-Hellman key exchanges.

Auditing: All access to patient records is logged to support audit requirements.

SECURITY FEATURES:

Unique user names and secure passwords must be entered when accessing patient data.

Proprietary security auditing mechanism provides for a comprehensive audit trail of patient record access history.

Alert, Broadcast, and User to User messaging is secure and fully HIPAA compliant.

VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK® relies on the institution's security mechanisms for internal data transfer.

External connections to VIRTUAL HEALTH NETWORK®, if allowed, use a 128 bit encrypted Secure Socket Layer technology, which exceeds HIPAA requirements. Data is delivered to handheld/PDA devices through secure/encrypted connections. Data stored on the handheld device is protected through a combination of access control mechanisms (username/password) and encrypted storage.