PIERRE — South Dakota Health Link is the state’s health information exchange, which is working to strengthen its partnership with Health Catalyst Inc., a provider of data and technology services for healthcare across the country. This new agreement will bring enhanced technology and services to promote the security and safety of sharing patient healthcare information.

“Through our partnership with Health Catalyst, we have been able to build, enhance, and expand the Health Link network to include new services and technologies that meet the growing demand of our members. We look forward to the new and innovative technology that will be available to our network to continue our core mission — exchanging information changing lives,” said Melissa Magstadt, DOH cabinet secretary.

Health Link is a state-designated health information exchange system that helps share healthcare information in South Dakota and includes members in Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and Nebraska. Over the past 12 years, the Health Link team has worked together to share information safely and improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare for everyone.

A significant enhancement will be the inclusion of Ninja Universe, which collects and improves healthcare data from different sources in real time. The platform has various parts that help Health Information Exchanges, like a Clinical Data Repository and a Patient Comprehend Community Health Record. It also has unique apps and expert services to make things better and faster. Doctors, pharmacists, social workers, and others from hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, jails, state agencies, and home care facilities will use Ninja Universe to get notifications, share information at the point of care, and gain insights to improve care quality and decision-making.

“Since 2012, South Dakota Health Link and Health Catalyst have worked together to help care providers securely access the data they need to make more informed decisions about patient care,” said Dan Burton, CEO of Health Catalyst.

For more information, visit the DOH website.