HIE Rundown – News from HIMSS18 3-09-18

network-200Health 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.

Personal Connected Health Alliance Welcomes 24 New Members from 10 Countries
The Personal Connected Health Alliance (@PCHAlliance), a HIMSS organization, announced that 24 new organizations have become members of the Alliance. In the past year, PCHAlliance has added nearly 45 new member organizations from North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Middle East and Australia.

RosettaHealth Big Data HealthBus Platform Transports Over 11 Million Electronic Health Records Via Direct in Q3 2017
RosettaHealth (@rosettahealth), an innovative and secure, SaaS-based big health data transport platform, announced that nearly 25 percent of the 46 million DirectTrust network transactions in Q3 2017 were transited on its health data exchange platform.

Healthcare Technology Partnership Formed to Bring Patient-Centric Data Integrity to Health Information Exchanges
A new partnership between 4medica and Zen Healthcare IT (Zen) (@zenhealthcareit) promises to help health information exchanges (HIEs) equip healthcare organizations with the full picture of patient health needed for initiatives that range from combating opioid abuse to practicing value-based care.

Demonstrating the Value of the Health Information Exchange Through Qualitative Research
Groundbreaking original research developed by the Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN) (@KHINinfo) and Diameter Health (@DiameterHealth) now demonstrates the incontestable value health information exchanges deliver by aggregating patient data across all healthcare providers into a longitudinal patient view.

DXC Technology Unveils DXC Open Health Connect Platform Globally to Create a Connected Ecosystem for Better Healthcare Outcomes
DXC Technology (@DXCTechnology), the world’s leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, announced DXC Open Health Connect, a digital health platform that enables healthcare providers to give better quality of care and patient outcomes by enabling interoperability between disparate environments to provide data when and where it’s needed across the healthcare system.

eHealth Technologies Empowers Baystate Health Patients to View their Images
eHealth Technologies (@eHealthTec), the leading provider of image-enabled Health Information Exchange (HIE) solutions, and Baystate Health (@Baystate_Health), a not-for-profit integrated healthcare system serving nearly 1 million people across the Pioneer Valley in western New England, have announced a groundbreaking expansion of their eHealth Connect® Image Exchange medical image sharing services.

News from the ONC
Now Available: 2018 Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) Reference Edition – The Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA), an interactive catalog of standards and implementation specifications supporting interoperability in healthcare, has been updated following the public review and comment period that ended on November 20, 2017. The 2018 ISA Reference Edition incorporates many of the comments received, and is intended to provide a “snapshot in time” view of the ISA for the new year. Additional changes and functionality improvements are planned for 2018, so be sure to visit the ISA throughout the year.

Spotlighting Interoperability Proving Ground Programs
The Interoperability Proving Ground (IPG) Spotlight project of the week is: AMA Integrated Health Model Initiative (IHMI). IHMI brings together health care and technology stakeholders to enable interoperable technology solutions and care models that evolve with real-world use and feedback. IHMI features a digital platform and incorporates essential data elements centered around function, state and patient goals.

Share your interoperability project by submitting a new project at the IPG or update the status of a project that had been posted within the last 90 days. Once a project is submitted or updated, it will be added to the queue to be randomly selected as a featured project. Learn more about the IPG Spotlight.

News from the Sequoia Project
The Sequoia Project (@SequoiaProject) was chartered to advance the implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The ONC transitioned management of its eHealth Exchange to The Sequoia Project for maintenance. Since 2012, the Exchange has grown to become the largest health information exchange network in the country.

Carequality Trusted Exchange Framework Demonstrates Nationwide Network-to-Network Connectivity
Carequality (@CarequalityNet), an initiative of The Sequoia Project, reported that the traction and growth of its national-level trusted exchange framework is fueled by a straightforward process, which focuses on the key essentials for interoperability. To date, more than 1,250 hospitals, 35,000 clinics, and 600,000 health care providers are connected through the Carequality interoperability framework.

Sequoia Project eHealth Exchange and DSS, Inc. Pilot Would Increase Sharing of Relevant Data with Community Care Providers
Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS, Inc.) (@DSSHealthIT), a leading provider of HIT solutions for federal, private and public healthcare organizations, announced a DSS Direct Messaging pilot program on the nationwide eHealth Exchange health data sharing network. The pilot program is designed to bridge a gap for secure relevant data sharing with federal agencies using Direct Messaging. The pilot will increase the ability to coordinate care with community health facilities by reaching more rural community care/critical access hospitals and community health providers.

The Sequoia Project’s CTO/CIO Joins ONC’s U.S. Core Data for Interoperability Task Force
Eric Heflin, CIO/CTO for The Sequoia Project, has been appointed to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee’s (HITAC) U.S. Core Data for Interoperability Task Force (USCDI). Established by the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-225) the HITAC and its taskforces inform the work of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) by making policy, standards, and implementation specification recommendations for local and national health information access and exchange.

News from the CommonWell
CommonWell Health Alliance (@CommonWell) is devoted to the simple vision that health data should be available to individuals and providers regardless of where care occurs. Additionally, provider access to this data must be built-in health IT at a reasonable cost for use by a broad range of health care providers and the people they serve.

Blog series on FHIR

News from the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative
SHIEC (@SHIEClive) is the National Trade Association for Health Information Exchange Organizations. It is routine for important data about patients’ ongoing care to reside in multiple unconnected organizations. SHIEC member HIEs use information technology and trusted relationships in their service areas to enable secure, authorized exchange of patient information among disparate providers. By providing enhanced access to all available and relevant patient data SHIEC HIE members aim to improve the quality, coordination, and cost-effectiveness of health care provided in their communities. Read their news feed.

  • SHIEC Health IT Partner Program Grew Significantly in 2017
  • SHIEC’s Strategic Business & Technology Partner Grows 640% in One Year
  • SA groups launch pilot project linking social factors with patient records

ONC Interoperability Pledge
Companies that provide 90 percent of electronic health records used by hospitals nationwide as well as the top five largest health care systems in the country have agreed to implement three core commitments: Consumer Access, No Blocking/Ensuring Transparency, and Standards. The ONC (@ONC_HealthIT) wants vendors to sign a pledge. Is your vendor pledging? Find out who is on the list.

eHealth Initiative Resource Center
Interoperability Files – Check out the new white paper resource in the eHealth Initiative’s (@eHealthDC) Resource Center: Pulse on the Industry: American Hospital Association Annual Survey IT Supplement Brief #2.