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RIDGEFIELD, Conn., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading children's hospitals across the United States will soon be able to benefit from shared access to comparable data. Using the open source Distributed Terminology System (DTS) software from Apelon, an informatics company focused on data standardization and interoperability, Overland Park, Kansas-based Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA) is enabling researchers to more easily and accurately compare and exchange data with the goal of improving care and outcomes for pediatric patients.

CHCA represents more than 40 children's hospitals and is now part of a larger organization, the Children's Hospital Association. Apelon consultants will work with CHCA staff to develop a terminology knowledgebase that minimizes the difficulties of disparate systems and data formats, including the many different names for similar tests, procedures, diseases and conditions.

"Our work with Apelon supports the mission of CHCA by helping us advance the efficacy and quality of care provided to children," said Richard Stepanek, CHCA's Chief Information Officer. "By customizing their open source DTS software, we will be able to provide our hospital members with near-immediate access to comparable results data.  This data will support our comparative effectiveness research work, as well as the development of benchmarks for diagnoses and treatment modalities across our children's hospitals. This platform is integral to CHCA  expanding our future comparative effectiveness research across a broader group of our members."

Apelon's DTS is a comprehensive terminology management solution that assists wide-scale interoperability initiatives. Currently in use in many leading health care organizations, DTS provides support for national and international data standards, as well as local vocabularies, assuring that data residing in various systems can be readily shared, understood and used by any authorized party. The DTS software will, for instance, enable a pediatric oncology researcher to identify patients at various hospitals across the U.S. who would, based on set criteria, be a match to participate in a new clinical trial.

"The essential value of DTS is its ability to make data interoperable and therefore significantly increase and improve the data pool available to CHCA's geographically-dispersed clinicians and researchers affiliated with the children's hospitals," says Stephen Coady, Apelon's President and CEO.  "We trust the enhanced ability to quickly and accurately gather all relevant data, make comparisons, and better understand care processes will improve healthcare for these young patients."

For more information about DTS, visit www.apelon.com.

About Apelon
Apelon, Inc. is an international clinical informatics company focusing on data standardization and interoperability. Apelon software and professional services helps leading healthcare enterprises, life sciences organizations and government agencies improve the quality, comparability and accessibility of their information Visit www.Apelon.com for additional information.

About the Child Health Corporation of America
Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA) is an alliance of 43 children's hospitals in North America headquartered in Overland Park, KS. CHCA hospital executive and clinical leaders share data, knowledge and buying power to reduce costs and improve clinical and operational performance in children's hospitals. In 2011, CHCA, the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) and the National Association of Children's Hospitals (N.A.C.H.) merged under a single organization, called the Children's Hospital Association. The merger brings together the talents, resources and expertise of the staff of the three organizations and more than 220 children's hospitals and related institutions. The new organization is led by President and CEO Mark Wietecha. CHCA continues to operate as part of the Children's Hospital Association, which also has an office in Alexandria, VA. For more information, visit: www.chca.com.

SOURCE Apelon, Inc.