University Times

UPMC and dbMotion, a provider of web-based data-sharing and integration technology, have announced an $84 million initiative to create one of the largest models of true interoperability in health care. dbMotion will receive at least $35 million of this amount, including an investment by UPMC.

The company’s technology will provide a flexible platform for UPMC’s clinicians to access securely integrated patient information across its 19 hospitals and 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices, without replacing existing systems. The result is expected to be a model of interoperability for the regional and national health information networks that are being promoted by the federal government to improve safety and reduce costs. To facilitate this sweeping initiative, UPMC and dbMotion also will create a joint development effort in Pittsburgh to create novel interoperability solutions for the health care industry.

UPMC will be one of dbMotion’s first U.S. customers. Spun off in 2004 from Ness Technologies, dbMotion’s technology is widely deployed in Israel’s health system.

The dbMotion Solution was implemented in 2001 throughout Clalit Health Services, one of the world’s largest HMOs with 14 hospitals, 1,300 primary and specialized clinics and 400 pharmacies.

Its use was expanded in 2004 to include two of the country’s largest independent medical centers. Recognized as one of the most promising startups in Israel, dbMotion has won technology awards for the past two years from the Microsoft Healthcare Users Group.