By Sarianne Gruber
Twitter: @subtleimpact
The Fifth Annual New York eHealth Collaborative Gala & PATH Awards celebrated a well-deserved cause –delivering better healthcare for all New Yorkers. For the fifth consecutive year, the NYeC has been recognizing and honoring the achievements and innovations of “transformative pioneers who changed the landscape of healthcare delivery in New York in the field of health information technology.” Held at the lavish Capitale’s grand ballroom on November 18, I was joined by over 300 CEOs, C-level executives and influencers from New York State health systems, health plans, large employers, and the public sector, all representing the various cross sections of New York’s healthcare ecosystem. David Klein, Chair of the NYeC Board of Directors, declared 2015 a landmark year for the Statewide Health Network of New York (SHIN-NY) with the implementation of a statewide Patient Record Lookup (sPRL) system. Klein proudly paralleled this achievement of the medical information superhighway to the opening of the New York State Thruway and Northway. He also applauded NYeC’s significant work with the New York State Practice Transformation Network. A partnership with the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency equipped clinicians with tools and information needed to improve quality of care.
The 2015 Gala honorees were Steven Safyer, MD, President and CEO of the Montefiore Health System and Jason Gorevic, CEO of Teladoc. Dr. Safyer has been a leader in building Montefiore’s equitable healthcare system with a deep commitment to the underserved. Dr. Safyer has also been instrumental in partnering with Albert Einstein College of Medicine to create an integrated academic health system. Jason Gorevic has led one of the largest and fastest growing telemedicine firms in the US. Teladoc provides patients’ access to physicians every day of the week via telephone or video, and at a much lower cost. Recipients of this year’s Path Awardees were Thomas Mahoney, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency and Lisa Perry, Vice President of Quality and Technology Initiatives at the Community Health Center Association of New York State. Dr. Mahoney supervises all aspects of clinical data and analytics and was awarded a $26.6M community wide grant from the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to reduce hospital and ED admissions. Ms. Perry has developed statewide HIT optimization programs in 68 of New York’s Federally Qualified Health Centers. Congratulations to all.
Founded in 2006, NYeC’s CEO, Inez Sieben, continues to bring innovative health information technology to New York’s health providers. The organization’s mainstay is to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers by championing innovation and collaboration across the health information technology landscape. NYeC works to develop policies and standards and assists healthcare providers’ transition to electronic health records. NYeC’s most significant achievement has been giving patients and their providers access to medical records no matter where within the state cared has been delivered, thus, creating interoperability. This has been accomplished through the work of the SHIN-NY, a statewide Health Information Exchange.
The SHIN-NY, lead by Executive Director, David Whitlinger, received a $45 million from New York’s State Legislature this past spring. To date over 50,000 healthcare providers can securely access and share 28 million patient records no matter where those patients live or work in the state. Another significant milestone has been the development and implementation of statewide Patient Record Lookup (sPRL) across NY’s eight regional Qualified Entities (QE), a local hub where a region’s electronic health information is stored and shared. These QEs connect EHRs from participating providers in each region (and with patient consent) allow those records to be shared securely with other providers in their area. The sPRL system allows doctors to look up individual patient records through a secure search engine, permits healthcare providers to securely share vital health information throughout the state and improve the quality, efficiency and ease of treatment for patients. With the partnering of QE across NY, the usage of the SHIN-NY has grown 70% since October 2012 and continues to increase.
This year, the New York State Practice Transformation Network (NYSPTN) together with the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency (FLHSA) and the New York Department of Health worked to improve health information technology. NYSPTN is one of 39 healthcare collaborative networks selected to participate in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative. With a $48.5M grant from CMS for over four years, they plan on providing technical assistance and support to help equip clinicians in NY state with tools, information network support needed to improve quality of care, increase patients’ access to information as well as make sure healthcare dollars more are spent more wisely. The NYSPTN plans support up to 11,193 eligible clinicians to expand their quality improvement capacity, learn from one another, and achieve common goals of improved care, better health and reduced costs.
The NYeC also oversees and manages the NY Digital Health Accelerator with the Partnership Fund for New York City. This program supports growth stage digital health companies – developing cutting-edge tech products for healthcare providers and patients – care coordination, patient engagement and workflow improvement. The first two classes raised $64 million in additional capital following their participation in program, startup created 120 new jobs in NYC.
Thank you, NYeC, for your initiatives and contributions to health information technology. Follow New York’s trusted healthcare IT collaborative at NYECNEWS.