State HIE News and Updates – 12-15-15

networks-200Statewide Health Information Exchanges (HIE) come in all shapes and sizes but have one thing in common: To improve the quality, safety and efficiency of health care delivered in their states. Here are updates being reported from these organizations.

Pennsylvania: PA eHealth Partnership Authority
Annual Report to the Governor and General Assembly – The Pennsylvania eHealth Information Technology Act, signed into law as Act 121 of 2012, established the Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Authority (@PAeHealth). It requires the Authority to “submit an annual report to the Governor, the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for distribution to appropriate legislative committees on the activities of the authority for the year, including a summary of the receipts and expenditures, a list of contracts and a summary of any reportable security breaches that occurred and corrective actions that were taken.” Recently, the Authority filed with the Governor, Senate, and House hard copies of its 2015 Annual Report. You can read the report in PDF format here.

Arizona: AzHeC
Surge in Network Participation is All About Value – The Network has seen a strong surge in interest and participation from the provider community this fall. A key reason for this increased interest is that provider participation fees were eliminated as of October 1, 2015, but that is not the whole story according to Beth Scully who joined Arizona Health-e Connection (AzHeC) (@azhec) and The Network as the Senior Manager of Recruitment last month.

Western States Health-e Connection Summit & Trade Show was a great success. With one of the largest groups of attendees, speakers and sponsors in its 9-year history, the Summit & Trade Show on November 17 was an outstanding education and networking event. Attendees were able to see presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions that included national and local subject matter experts. Check out the speaker and sponsor presentations.

With the recent growth in Network participation, there is also increased interest in learning more about The Network services.  Register today for“The Network: Services, Fees & Live Demo” which provides an overview of The Network’s features and fee schedule along with a live demo. The webinar on Thursday, January 21, 2016 is scheduled for one hour starting at noon so participants can enjoy their lunch while learning about and seeing The Network in action.

Colorado: CORHIO
Patient Data From Pagosa Springs Medical Center Now Available to Community Providers –  Providers in Colorado who are participating in the CORHIO (@CORHIO) health information exchange network now have access to patient data from Pagosa Springs Medical Center, enabling better patient care coordination. Pagosa Springs Medical Center, a busy critical access hospital approximately an hour east of Durango, is sending patient records into the CORHIO health information exchange (HIE). The data is available immediately to any participating provider in the Community Health Record within CORHIO’s PatientCare 360® tool. This enhanced information flow is particularly beneficial for communication between Durango and Pagosa Springs providers and supports specialty care and referral networks in the area.

Vermont: VITL
Immunization Registry and VITL Connect to Inform Health Care – Recently the Vermont Department of Health (@VITLVT) sponsored an immunization and infectious disease conference in Stowe, Vermont. It was very well attended by school nurses, clinicians, epidemiologists and public health professionals. VITL participated as an exhibitor to talk with attendees about the Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE). VITL and VDH have been partners in the collection and management of immunization data that informs health care decisions in Vermont for many years. In order for providers to meet the Meaningful Use measures related to public health, VITL builds interface connections to electronic health record systems so providers may submit immunization data to the VHIE, which is then sent to the Immunization Registry.

Indiana: IHIE
IHIE Engages More Hospitals, EHR Vendors for Enhanced Interoperability – To ensure quality and consistent care for patients across the state, the Indiana Health Information Exchange (@IndianaHIE) and St. Vincent Medical Group (SVMG) have partnered to send patient tests, lab and other clinical results directly into their electronic health record (EHR) system, athenahealth. St. Vincent Medical Group is a member of Ascension, the nation’s largest not-for-profit and Catholic health system.

Idaho: IHDE
IHDE Launches Orion Health HIE Clinical Portal – The Idaho Health Data Exchange (@idahohdeannounced the launch of the new Clinical Portal by Orion Health. The Clinical Portal provides a single unified view of patient data across and between healthcare organizations via an easy-to-use web-based portal that is accessible anywhere, anytime. Ease of use and configurability enable improved clerical and clinical workflow for clinicians in Idaho and the region to quickly and easily connect, coordinate and collaborate on their patients’ care.