In the News
IRIS Develops NIEMView™
Alexandria, VA, February 14, 2018– IRIS is excited to announce the launch of NIEMView™, a free online service providing a “birds eye” view into the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). Intuitive Mind Maps allow the NIEMView™ user to explore, in a simple and direct way, the various domains and classes contained in NIEM for use by it’s Community.
The NIEM is used by the US military, federal agencies, state governments, and internationally to communicate information safely and efficiently serving as a common vocabulary enabling efficient information exchange across diverse public and private organizations. The model has over 14 domains including Agriculture, Emergency Management, MilOps, Human Services, Health, etc. and provide consistent, reusable data terms and definitions, and repeatable processes which saves NIEM participants time and money.
It is through IRIS’ support of the NIEM Health domain for Federal Health Architecture (FHA), of which they are stewards for, that the team recognized the opportunity to provide services different from what is already accessible to the NIEM Community.
IRIS’ President, David Clark remarked that “We quickly noticed that the current NIEM tools lack the ability to depict inheritances of the various domain elements to the NIEM Core and offer substitute elements for cross domain exchanges, our service provides both.”
Another feature offered within the mindmaps is the ability to click on hyperlinks to be immediately redirected to the precise location within the NIEM standard. Lastly, for those in the community who prefer to work in UML, IRIS’ tool provides a UML rendition of the entire NIEM 4.0 CORE and Domains.
This is the third online tool that IRIS has developed, designed to support semantic interoperability, this year. In February IRIS released FHIMView™ which provides the health IT community with a compelling, visually understandable, and downloadable presentation of the Federal Health Information Model (FHIM). FHIMView can be used to compareany information model to the FHIM. Inlate September FHIRView® was launched which delivers a simple, direct rendering of FHIR®’sresources, elements, and datatypes. FHIRView® was developed in response to the need for an intuitive, fast, and accurate method to access health IT standards and compare data models.
“Last year the team began to jokingly refer to ourselves as “Interoperabilitists©”, this year we proved that we are. I am very proud of this work and look forward to the enhancements we make to each of our products in the year ahead!” -David Clark.
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm founded in 2006 which leverages decades of HIT program management, architecture, engineering and software development experience. IRIS core values are predicated on People, Processes, Performance, and Pricing - which drive our delivery model to achieve higher outputs and lower costs for our clients, while improving the functionality and efficacy of healthcare processes through the delivery of superior design, development, and maintenance of health information technology (HIT) systems and programs.
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For more information about this topic, please contact David Clark at 1-888-744-9992 x110 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .">admin@irishealthsolutions.com .
IRIS Announces FHIR® Enablement of VSAC Resources
IRIS Develops FHIR® Terminology Service for the Value Set Authority Center
Alexandria, VA, December 21, 2017– IRIS Health Solutions, LLC is proud to announce the initial implementation of a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) Terminology Service for VSAC resources. The service was delivered through IRIS’ support of the Federal Health Architecture (FHA), and FHA’s partnership with the National Library of Medicine ‘s (NLM) Value Set Authority Center (VSAC). This RESTful API provides users holding a free Unified Medical Language System® Metathesaurus License access to the current VSAC value sets and supported code systems.
The VSAC provides downloadable access to all official versions of vocabulary value sets drawn from standard vocabularies contained in the CMS electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) (https://vsac.nlm.nih.gov/). This service supports theCodeSystem and ValueSetFHIR Terminology Module resources to access value sets published, and code systems hosted, by VSAC.
“HL7’s FHIR® is intended to enable health information exchange in a wide variety of settings. Creating a service that would FHIR® “enable” the VSAC seemed like a crucial step in advancing the HIT’s communities shared interest in achieving information interoperability; we are grateful for the opportunity.” David Clark, IRIS’ President.
Since 2015, NLM has provided a prototype of the service to be leveraged for terminology tracks at several HL7 FHIR Connect-A-Thons. IRIS was asked to support its development and make enhancements to the service in October 2016. The team hopes to continue its work with FHA and NLM to expand this capability to additional FHIR resources.
This is the second FHIR® related announcement from IRIS this year. On September 28, 2017 IRIS launched FHIRView™ a free online service which offers a simple, direct rendering of FHIR®’s resources, elements, and datatypes. FHIRView™ ® was developed in response to the need for an intuitive, fast, and accurate method to access health IT standards and compare data models.
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm founded in 2006 which leverages decades of HIT program management, architecture, engineering and software development experience. IRIS core values are predicated on People, Processes, Performance, and Pricing- which drive our delivery model to achieve higher outputs and lower costs for our clients, while improving the functionality and efficacy of healthcare processes through the delivery of superior design, development, and maintenance of health information technology (HIT) systems and programs.
IRIS Releases FHIRView™, for Easier Access to Health IT Standards
“Often, we develop tools during the course of our consulting engagements that save our customers money because they allow more work to be accomplished with less human capital,” says David Clark, IRIS’ President. IRIS developed FHIRView™ in response to the need for an intuitive, fast, and accurate method to access health IT standards and compare data models.
Through IRIS’ health IT consulting research and development projects in the federal health space, IRIS’ health IT architects and analysts discovered that extensive time and resources were being spent by clinicians attempting to manually navigate FHIR data while modifying legacy healthcare data systems to support the emerging FHIR standards. IRIS’s FHIRView™ organizes the navigation of the standard in an intuitive mind map with hyperlinks to the queried data, saving hours of consulting time. “The tool can be rapidly customized for other models in order to harmonize data between them, reducing program costs.” Says Dr. Alberto Llanes, IRIS Chief Architect and FHIRView™ technical lead.
IRIS’ goal is to continue to develop ‘short-cut’ tools that can be leveraged by skilled practitioners to hasten the reality of true bi-directional health information exchange for organizations.
The intuitive FHIRView™ tool is available for public use at http://www.irishealthsolutions.com/FHIRView.
IRIS can rapidly customize the FHIMView™ and the FHIRView™ tool to an organization’s specific interoperability needs. For more information about IRIS Health Solutions please visit http://www.irishealthsolutions.com.
IRIS Wins GSA Professional Services Schedule Contract
According to IRIS founder and President, David E. Clark,
“The award of the GSA Professional Services Schedule (PSS) strengthens the IRIS portfolio of services designed to support the complex missions of federal healthcare agencies. Through the addition of this MAS vehicle, we look forward to expanding our delivery of the high-level Subject Matter Expertise and professional support services that our federal clients have come to expect from IRIS.”
With the firm’s extensive experience at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Defense (DoD), Military Health System (MHS), this new GSA Professional Services Schedule affords IRIS customers the advantage of accessing the firm’s in-depth knowledge of and experience in the federal health sector.
At the same time, IRIS will continue to build its professional services suite to advance the firm’s long-term goal of effectively contributing to the delivery of the nation’s healthcare needs.
IRIS Launches FHIM View™ Semantic Interoperability Service
By registering and logging into FHIMVIEW.com, users can directly access the power of the FHIM. FHIM View™ takes the complex UML modeled data contained in the FHIM and renders it in a simple, direct way. Until now, only data modelers directly benefited from the FHIM’s UML model. FHIM View™ allows online searches or exploration of an intuitive ‘mind map’ to quickly target and collect specific health elements from among thousands. The gathered results can then be downloaded into Excel or viewed as a graphical representation that can be printed and shared.
FHIM View™ was conceived by Alberto Llanes, Ph.D., IRIS Chief Enterprise Architect, with the goal of, “assisting communities by developing services and tools that improve semantic interoperability, leading to service improvement, increased efficiencies, and cost reduction.”
Envisioned for use by the wider community of health informaticists, system developers, providers, researchers, and Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), FHIM View™ is the first of many planned applications running on the IRIS Semantic Interoperability Platform (iSIP™).
IRIS founder and President, David Clark, states that, “IRIS is proud to have the opportunity to provide the healthcare IT community with a free service that supports national HIT integration and interoperability goals. By offering the FHIM View™ Service, we hope to promote harmonization of health data systems that are being integrated to improve interoperable health records.”
Plans for FHIM View™ include enhanced terminology and multi-platform browser support. Plans for the evolution of iSIP™ include new applications to support the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), and additional fee-based services to support greater data harmonization, gap analysis, and creation of exchange models from diverse sources.
To register for the FHIM View™ Service go to: www.fhimview.com.
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IRIS Awarded HIT SIN Under GSA IT70
According to IRIS founder and President, David E. Clark, “Adding the HIT SIN to IRIS’ GSA IT 70 contract is crucial to our efforts in meeting our federal government clients’ expanding health IT needs.”
The procurement partnership between the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Health Agency (DHA) for creating the HIT SIN will drive highly specialized health IT work to the right group of specialist contractors and streamline the government’s procurement process. IRIS is proud to be among this pre-qualified group of government HIT contractors.
Clark states that, “This new HIT SIN will aid the government in working with HIT specialists, such as IRIS, so that we can better serve our citizens, the Armed Services, and civilian agencies through the government’s many healthcare programs.”
With the firm’s extensive experience at the Military Health System (MHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), award of this new HIT SIN is a much anticipated and welcomed event for IRIS’s long-term business development.
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm located in Harrisonburg, VA and Alexandria, VA. Founded in 2006, IRIS is dedicated to solving the unique challenges faced by federal healthcare organizations. IRIS experts bring decades of experience in government HIT systems, interoperability and integration, and healthcare business functions, including the systems of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
IRIS Health Solutions, LLC Wins GSA IT-70 Schedule Contract
Harrisonburg, VA – March 21, 2016 - IRIS Health Solutions, LLC (IRIS) has been awarded a GSA/FAS Schedule contract for Schedule 70, Information Technology Equipment, Software, and Services (GSA IT 70), effective from March 2, 2016 through March 1, 2021.
IRIS Health Solutions, LLC - GSA IT 70 Schedule Contract number: GS-35F-209DA.
According to IRIS founder and CEO, David E. Clark, “Winning the GSA IT 70 contract is a very important step in our efforts to meet the federal government’s complex and growing health information technology (HIT) needs.”
With the recent announcement of the procurement partnership between the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Health Agency (DHA), IRIS anticipates that a significant amount of ongoing and new HIT work for the Military Health System (MHS) will now be procured via the GSA IT 70 schedule. As well, the GSA will initiate a new SIN for health information technology on the IT 70 schedule. It is scheduled for release in late May, 2016.
Clark states that, “We also look forward to the new HIT SIN that will soon be added to the IT 70 vehicle. This development will aid the government in working with HIT specialists, such as IRIS, so can we can better serve both citizens and the Armed Services through the government’s many healthcare programs.”
With the firm’s extensive experience at MHS, this new DHA procurement strategy of partnering with the GSA and utilizing the IT 70 vehicle bodes well for IRIS’s long-term business development.
About IRIS Health Solutions, LLC
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm located in Alexandria, VA. Founded in 2006, IRIS is dedicated to solving the unique challenges faced by federal healthcare organizations in today's rapidly changing regulatory environment. IRIS experts bring decades of experience in government HIT systems, interoperability and integration, and healthcare business functions, including the systems of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
IRIS Health Solutions, LLC Awarded Subcontract for the Defense Healthcare Management Systems Modernization (DHMSM) Program
Harrisonburg, VA – October 29th, 2015 – IRIS Health Solutions, LLC (IRIS), is pleased to announce that it is part of the Leidos Partnership for Defense Health, which has been awarded a contract by the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide an electronic health record (EHR) commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution, integration activities, and deployment across the Military Health System (MHS). The contract, known as the Defense Healthcare Management Systems Modernization (DHMSM), awarded on July 29, 2015, is an initiative designed to modernize the military’s healthcare system in a meaningful way, enabling patients and clinicians to capture and share health data, improving the continuity and quality of care for all those who serve and have served our country and their families.
The modernization of the DoD EHR system is of vital importance to the nation. DHMSM will continue the DoD’s leadership in utilizing the best healthcare technology to improve medical outcomes for our armed forces and to support the medical readiness of the U.S. military.
IRIS founder and president, David E. Clark, states that, “IRIS is proud to be part of the Leidos Partnership for Defense Health. This highly qualified team has rightfully been selected as the best value solution for the DHMSM contract. IRIS is committed to advancing healthcare delivery and critical decision support capabilities designed to improve clinical outcomes for our dedicated men and women in uniform. We look forward to collaborating with our Leidos teammates in the challenging work that lies ahead.”
Since 2010, IRIS has been providing DoD with program management, systems engineering, and software development support for the sustainment and integration of its legacy AHLTA and CHCS systems. As a Leidos team member, IRIS will provide MHS-specific technical expertise and domain knowledge required for the solution’s integration and interoperability with some 50 existing DoD EHR systems, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) VistA system, and the EHR systems of private sector healthcare providers that care for our soldiers and their families.
The Leidos Partnership for Defense Health will support medical care delivery across the globe, from the battlefield to hundreds of hospitals and clinics at home and abroad, for 9.6 million patients. The $4.3 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract has a two-year initial ordering period, with two 3-year option periods, and a two-year award term which is earned through successful performance during the previous contract periods. http://leidosdefensehealth.com/about-us/meet-the-team/our-partners/.
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About IRIS Health Solutions, LLC
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm located in Harrisonburg, VA and Alexandria, VA. Founded in 2006, IRIS is dedicated to solving the unique challenges faced by federal healthcare organizations in today's rapidly changing regulatory environment. IRIS experts bring decades of experience in government HIT systems, interoperability and integration, and healthcare business functions, including the systems of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
For more information, please visit: www.irishealthsolutions.com
IRIS Health Solutions, LLC Wins New Contract to Provide Support Services to HRSA, Bureau of Primary Health Care Management Information System
Harrisonburg, VA – October 18, 2015 - IRIS Health Solutions, LLC (IRIS) announces the award, on September 1, 2015, of a new one year contract to provide program management support services to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), BPHC Health Care Management Information System (BHCMIS).
As a valued team member for the prime contractor, Management Solutions Consulting Group (MSCG), IRIS will provide program management support and oversight of the BHCMIS module developments and enhancements. BHCMIS is a bureau-specific system fully integrated with HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs). IRIS will support the BHCMIS Electronic Handbooks (EHB) modules on the pre-release side of systems work, including issue resolution. This entails management of assigned modules by providing consistent, effective oversight according to BCHMIS Portfolio Development Phases guidance and timeframes.
Since 2009, IRIS has supported HRSA/BMHC/BHCMIS with services including 3rd tier BPHC Help Desk support, design and development of a SharePoint-based critical central data repository and design of reports for senior management.David E. Clark, IRIS founder and President, stated that,
“IRIS is gratified to be able to continue our work in supporting the important role of the HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care BHCMIS in delivering essential healthcare services to millions of deserving Americans in underserved communities across the country.”
BHCMIS assures access to quality primary health care services in underserved communities and vulnerable populations by administering, managing, overseeing, and evaluating all Health Center Program activities including: Health Center operational grants, Primary Care Associations, National Cooperative Agreements, FQHC Look-Alike, Health Center Controlled Networks, Free Clinics, and the Federal Torts Claims Act Medical Malpractice Insurance programs.
BHCMIS is currently used by more than 8,000 internal and external customers and facilitates access to health care for over 20 million patients. Nationally, BHCMIS supports more than 8,500 health center sites and annually administers approximately $3.7B in funding to more than 1,200 grantees.
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About IRIS Health Solutions, LLC
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm located in Harrisonburg, VA and Alexandria, VA. Founded in 2006, IRIS is dedicated to solving the unique challenges faced by federal healthcare organizations in today's rapidly changing regulatory environment. IRIS experts bring decades of experience in government HIT systems, interoperability and integration, and healthcare business functions, including the systems of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
IRIS Health Solutions, LLC Wins New Contract to Provide Support Services to HRSA, Bureau of IRIS Health Solutions, LLC Wins New Contract to Support The Federal Health Architecture Office
Harrisonburg, VA – October 14, 2015 - IRIS Health Solutions, LLC (IRIS) today announces the award, on October 1, 2015, of a new three year contract to support the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), Federal Health Architecture (FHA) Program Office. This multi-year procurement, issued through the NITAAC CIO-SP3 Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), was aimed at small businesses that could bring to FHA the appropriate health information technology (HIT) skillsets and services.
IRIS will provide program management, enterprise architecture, and HIT SME support to ONC/FHA on a team led by Evoke Research & Consulting, LLC (Evoke). This highly skilled team will deliver HIT technical services, program management, financial management support, internal and external communication services, and high-level healthcare subject matter expertise (SMEs) for a range of ONC/FHA initiatives.
IRIS now enters its tenth year of providing this important federal health program with essential program support and HIT expertise. David E. Clark, IRIS founder and President, stated that,
“IRIS is proud to partner with Evoke, a firm that has a proven track record of excellence in program management, quality assurance, and a host of technical services for federal health agencies, including Veterans Affairs. And we are very excited to be able to continue our work in supporting the leadership role that the FHA plays in shaping the HIT interoperability roadmap and in working with federal and healthcare industry stakeholders to move to a ‘patient centered’ ecosystem”.
IRIS looks forward to closely collaborating with our Evoke Team colleagues in the furtherance of the significant, timely public service mission of the Federal Health Architecture Program Office.
About IRIS Health Solutions, LLC
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm located in Harrisonburg, VA and Alexandria, VA. Founded in 2006, IRIS is dedicated to solving the unique challenges faced by federal healthcare organizations in today's rapidly changing regulatory environment. IRIS experts bring decades of experience in government HIT systems, interoperability and integration, and healthcare business functions, including the systems of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
IRIS Health Solutions, LLC Wins New ONC Technical Services Contract
Harrisonburg, VA – June 8, 2015 – IRIS Health Solutions, LLC, as a valued member of the A+ Government Solutions, LLC ( A+, a CNI company) team, is proud to announce the award, on June 5th, 2015, of a new five year contract in support of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).This contract is a small business set-aside under the GSA IT-70 schedule.
A+ Government Solutions, LLC, founded in 2006 by J. Eduardo Marques, is a management and IT consulting firm with a specialization in the areas of health programs and human capital management. A+ was acquired in November 2012 by Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. (CNI) and operates a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNI. A+, as the incumbent on the previous contract, will utilize IRIS to provide professional services for a range of new tasks supporting the Federal Health Architecture (FHA) program, including administrative, strategic, technical, and logistical support along with expertise to assist with overall planning, implementation, administration and evaluation of FHA program activities.
Upon announcement of the award, David E. Clark, IRIS founder and President, stated that,
“IRIS is very excited about this new opportunity to work with A+ to broaden our joint support for both ONC and FHA. This is where policy, technology and stakeholder engagement meets, requiring HIT SMEs that are specifically well versed in federal HIT policy development, technical architectures and stakeholder engagement. IRIS has been working with ONC since its inception. The experience and insight we have gained working across all of the of the federal stakeholders’ National Coordinators since the tenure of Dr. Brailer gives us a level of situational awareness that the contractor must bring in order to fulfill ONC/FHA programmatic requirements.”
IRIS looks forward to collaborating with A+ Government Solutions, LLC (a CNI company) on the successful execution of this contract.
About IRIS Health Solutions, LLC
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm located in Harrisonburg, VA and Alexandria, VA. Founded in 2006, IRIS is dedicated to solving the unique challenges faced by federal healthcare organizations in today's rapidly changing regulatory environment. IRIS experts bring decades of experience in government HIT systems, interoperability and integration, and healthcare business functions, including the systems of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The FHA Directed Exchange Work Group a Finalist for the 2015 AFCEA Bethesda Government-Wide Initiatives Excellence Award
Harrisonburg, VA – May 14, 2015 – The Federal Health Architecture (FHA) Directed Exchange Work Group has been nominated and was a finalist in the “Efficiency and Value Creation” category for the AFCEA Bethesda 8th Annual Government-wide Initiatives Excellence Awards. These awards honor individuals or organizations whose achievements “facilitate advancement in business and citizen interaction – leading to improved effectiveness, cost-savings and leadership – as well as meet national priorities and serve as a model of government excellence.”
This year’s finalists and winners were honored at the annual awards luncheon held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on May 12, 2015.
According to FHA Director, Gail Kalbfleisch, “Our work over the past year has been impressive to say the least. I am very proud to announce that our efforts have also been noticed by the ….AFCEA… being a finalist for this prestigious award is a major accomplishment.”
IRIS Health Solutions, LLC (IRIS) is proud to have been supporting the FHA Directed Exchange Group since its inception in April, 2013, when it was “chartered with the overarching goal to support federal implementation of Directed Exchange, and where possible, work towards a unified approach to the policy, security, operational, and technical needs for direct messaging by the federal participants.”
About AFCEA
The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) plays a key role in national security and facilitates dialogue and cooperation among the civil government, Department of Defense, and private industry. With more than 140 chapters around the world, AFCEA fosters government–industry partnerships and provides members with opportunities to exchange ideas about communications, intelligence, imaging, and information systems technologies.
About IRIS Health Solutions, LLC
IRIS is a health information technology (HIT) management and technology services firm located in Harrisonburg, VA and Alexandria, VA. Founded in 2006, IRIS is dedicated to solving the unique challenges faced by federal healthcare organizations in today's rapidly changing regulatory environment. IRIS experts bring decades of experience in government HIT systems, interoperability and integration, and healthcare business functions, including the systems of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
