Health Information Exchange News & Announcements
Health Information Exchange (HIE) is happening every minute of every day. Your personal health information is moving and being viewed to improve the quality of your healthcare and lower the costs. The job will not be complete until all health records are digital and interoperable. Here’s what’s happening to make that reality.
GaHIN Connection to National eHealth Exchange Paves the Way for State-to-State Exchange of Health Information
Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN), the statewide health information exchange network that electronically connects Georgia hospitals, physicians and clinicians to safely and securely exchange patient health information, announced its “go live” status with the eHealth Exchange (formerly known as the Nationwide Health Information Network). The national Exchange was established to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare by establishing a mechanism for sharing nationwide health information, and as one of the nation’s leading healthcare information exchanges, GaHIN’s national connectivity status opens the gateway for the seamless, meaningful interstate exchange of medical records.
EHNAC Announces Accreditation Program for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and Related IT Service Organizations
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) (@EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body, announced the development of the Accountable Care Organization Accreditation Program (ACOAP). Two beta organizations – Capital Clinical Integrated Network (CCIN) and HEALTHEC – have been finalized as the first organizations to undergo this comprehensive accreditation process and plan to represent geographic balance and provide diversity in Accountable Care Organization (ACO) models.
First Health Information Exchange in Texas and Fourth in the Nation to Achieve Full Accreditation
HIETexas (@HIETexas) announced that Healthcare Access San Antonio (HASA)(@HASA_TX), the Health Information Exchange organization for Bexar and 21 surrounding counties in South Central Texas, has achieved full accreditation with the Texas Health Information Exchange Accreditation Program (TX-HIEAP) from the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) and the Texas Health Services Authority (THSA), which operates HIETexas. HASA is the first HIE to achieve Texas accreditation and only the fourth in the nation to receive recognition from EHNAC. Texas HIE Accreditation ensures HIEs within Texas are interoperable with state and federal programs, and provide the private, secure and proper exchange of health information in accordance with established laws and public policy.
Axesson’s California Direct HISP Selects iBlueButton to Provide Patients with Mobile Access to Healthcare Records
Humetrix, the mobile medical apps company that puts patients in control of their own healthcare, announced that its iBlueButton app has been selected by California Direct (@Axesson), to provide participating physicians with the means to securely transmit medical records to patients via their mobile devices. The addition of the iBlueButton app adds mobile capabilities to the California Direct offering for the first time, allowing patients to receive and carry their medical records and share them with doctors at the point of care.
OZ Systems Partners with State of Minnesota in Providing Fully Integrated, Interoperable Newborn Screening Information System
OZ Systems (@OZSystems), a leading provider of public health information systems and interoperable exchange, announces an award from the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Newborn Screening program in May to provide a new Direct Results Reporting System, which will integrate the state’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) and Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) newborn screening programs into a single, integrated, web-based application.
Kansas Seeks to Become “Model for the Nation” with Healthcare Solution Aimed at Treating Whole Person
Imagine dealing with two illnesses simultaneously – one behavioral, the other physical. It’s a reality for many. Sixty eight percent of adults with mental health conditions also have medical conditions, according to the American Psychological Association, impacting the healthcare system with high human and financial costs.
Two new solutions are being adopted in Kansas to help assure coordinated care, improve outcomes and reduce cost of care for people with co-occurring mental and physical health issues. The initiatives use Health Homes and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) to share authorized clinical information and facilitate referrals between providers. Both use care coordination technologies from Overland Park, Kan.-based Netsmart to facilitate the information exchange process.
Buena Vida y Salud Selects Sandlot Solutions to Support Clinical Integration and Care Coordination for Patients in the Rio Grande Valley
Sandlot Solutions (@SandlotSolution), a leading health interoperability and analytics provider, announced its partnership with Buena Vida y Salud, a newly-formed Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in South Texas. Buena Vida’s 34 physicians serve a population of more than 150,000 patients in the Rio Grande Valley region.
Sandlot will construct a technology bridge to connect to Buena Vida’s regional health information exchange (HIE), the Rio Grande Valley HIE. Sandlot’s technology will allow Buena Vida to exchange data with hospitals and other healthcare organizations from across the region, facilitating care coordination and greater clinical integration for its entire patient population. The project, powered by Sandlot Connect, will go live within 90 days.
In North Carolina, Connecting Rural Communities, Striving for Quality Improvement
The North Carolina Health Information Exchange (NC HIE), the organization tasked with connecting the entire healthcare community, has made significant progress in building statewide connectivity since its inception in 2010, when the organization was awarded federal HITECH funds. Today, the exchange is helping providers from the ground up.
Healtheway Announces eHealth Exchange Validated Products
Healtheway, the non-profit, public-private collaborative that supports the eHealth Exchange, announced that Medicity and Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) are the first of two product vendors to successfully complete eHealth Exchange Product Testing.