PremierConnect will integrate Premier's clinical, financial and operational comparative databases, containing one in four patient admissions and close to $43 billion in purchasing data. Premier's quality, safety, labor and supply chain applications will also be accessible in PremierConnect, helping providers make decisions based on a combination of quality, safety and cost information.

"What we've built mirrors what we're trying to do in healthcare - build a system that is coordinated and integrated, where communication is dramatically improved and we aren't unnecessarily repeating work," said Keith J. Figlioli, Premier's senior vice president of healthcare informatics. "It will help eliminate unnecessary care that can compromise safety and add to already expensive bills for both consumers and health systems."

For example, a physician or chief medical officer can monitor clinical performance, access patient-level detail and support government reporting requirements. The information is clearly presented by the website and based on every diagnosis, procedure and patient visit.

A clinical integration executive can segment populations of patients to understand where to focus care management and monitor the effectiveness of improving care while reducing costs. Or an infection preventionist can be alerted to possible harmful events within their system through real-time surveillance. They can also coordinate care with other departments, such as the pharmacy, to ensure the proper drugs are administered.

Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at or subscribe to . His e-mail address is .