Health information exchange the latest to deploy large scale patient identity matching from 4medica; technology will assure data integrity for HIE’s pop health and PDMP initiatives
Nebraska’s HIE, the Nebraska Health Information Initiative (@NeHIIorg), has taken a crucial step in becoming the source for population health data for Nebraska providers by deploying a strong patient identity matching strategy. Powered by patient identity matching technology and a unique patient identifier from 4medica (@4medica), the leading clinical data exchange company, the strategy assures that only clean and complete data will make up the data sets NeHII works with for population health analytics and reporting, and participation in the Patient Centered Data Home initiative of the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC).
It’s a move that NeHII CEO Jaime Bland underscored is essential for every state health information exchange in the country.
“Helping providers practice true population healthcare is the next iteration of being an HIE in any state—and accurate patient identity matching is a fundamental component of the required infrastructure,” Bland said.
She added, “Beyond facilitating the exchange of information, our primary objective at NeHII is to be the population health utility for Nebraska providers, helping them use our data sets to see the big picture of patient health, and to report a number of measures to multiple sources. With the 4medica patient identity matching solution, we can be confident in the data integrity.”
How 4medica patient matching and data enrichment improve data accuracy
NeHII processes millions of data transactions on a continuous basis. To assure that incoming patient data is assigned to the right patient record, the organization uses a two-fold solution from 4medica.
First, 4medica assigns a unique patient ID to each patient, through its 4everID™. This unique patient identifier fulfills a need that is at the very core of interoperability: making it possible for different healthcare systems to exchange data about patients.
With a unique patient ID now assigned to every patient, the 4medica Big Data MPI (master patient index) technology swiftly matches incoming patient data to the right patient identity. 4medica’s multi-patented MPI was designed to perform quick and relevant searches; in patient matching, it results in the fastest, most accurate patient identity matching available.
“We evaluated multiple vendors and it became quickly apparent that 4medica was the true data expert among them. 4medica accepted the challenge, embraced the uniqueness of NeHII’s data sets and was able to begin working right away with the data we supplied. 4medica ultimately emerged as true partners in the pursuit of NeHII’s goals and objectives. That’s when we knew 4medica was committed to solving big healthcare problems instead of adding to them,” Bland noted.
Powering the HIE’s expanding role
NeHII has embarked on a number of ambitious initiatives that have made the organization a trusted source of truth, and not just within the state healthcare community. NeHII’s work creating a clinical data registry, a PDMP that goes beyond opioid monitoring to encompass a wide range of patient medication safety metrics, and other programs have also made the organization one of the most respected HIEs in the nation.
Much of this can be attributed to the HIE’s clinician-centric approach, including having the only CEO with a clinical nursing background at its helm.
Additionally, NeHII is known for being the first to innovate, and sharing the results with the wider community. On that note, NeHII will announce the new patient identity matching solution and other new programs at its upcoming member conference.
“We are so pleased to welcome NeHII to the 4medica customer family. NeHII is driving some of the most innovative developments in the HIE space today, and it is an honor to help make the patient data for this work a trusted and complete source of truth,” said Gregg Church, president, 4medica.
Next steps for the NeHII and 4medica relationship include the launch of a pilot program to create a real-time lab results hub for the entire state of Nebraska. In addition to its patient identity expertise, 4medica is a pioneer in lab and provider connectivity, and was the first to release an internet app for ordering tests and accessing lab results.
About NeHII
As an early adopter and national leader for Health Information Exchange (HIE), NeHII, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has functioned as a public-private collaborative that currently connects more than 3 million lives and 70% of hospital beds in Nebraska. NeHII is a leader in the secure exchange of health information and is enabling a healthier Nebraska.
About 4medica
4medica provides the industry’s leading SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) Big Data MPI and clinical data exchange platform to help healthcare organizations of diverse types create a seamless view of the patient care experience and further drive better health outcomes. The 4medica Big Data MPI and ClinXdata Clinical Data Exchange platform integrate with and build upon disparate systems to facilitate patient identity management and interoperable data exchange across various care settings to promote care continuity. The cloud computing model is scalable, lower cost, maintenance-free, easy to use and deployable in a few months or less, eliminating large capital outlays or resource utilization. 4medica connects hundreds of organizations including ACOS, HIEs, hospitals, health systems, physicians, laboratories, and radiology imaging centers.