For Providers
2013 Summit Series held at Traditions at the Glen, Johnson City, NY Thursday, April 18 - Beyond EHRs: Information Exchange and Your Practice
The
2013 Summit brought together some of the best
resources in our region to help answer questions about how
EHRs and the Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) Health Information Exchange
(HIE) can benefit your organization.
For more information about the April 18th 2013 Summit click
below.
April 18th 2013
Summit Presentations
What is an "HIE"?
A health information exchange (HIE) is technology that allows healthcare information to pass electronically across disparate organizations within a particular region or community. The goal of HIE is make sure that the information is available when and where it is needed. STHL is the Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) that governs the HIE in central NY, and currently serves a five-county area – Broome, Tioga, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego -- and will expand to additional counties in the coming years.
Benefits of an HIE
The HIE offers better access to more comprehensive patient records and built-in analysis tools that can improve decision making at the point of care, such as:
- Built in alerts that can reduce medical errors and avoid adverse drug interactions
- Improved continuity of care, particularly with multiple conditions and providers
- Availability of information in case of trauma or accident away from home
- Improved communication across providers, particularly in caring for patients with chronic conditions
Time and money can be saved when:
- Patients miss fewer appointments because they
are more involved with managing their
own healthcare - Coding guidance leads to increased billing accuracy
- Less time and money is spent filling out, shuffling and storing paperwork
Current List of Patient Records Available in the HIE
Patient information is deposited into the HIE by hospitals, clinics, labs, and physician offices throughout the region. The information available includes:
| Patient demographics | Medical and family history | Visits |
| Clinical Documents | Diagnoses | Procedures |
| Allergies and Alerts | Medication – current & history | PACS imaging |
| Lab Results | Vitals | Immunizations |
Patient Consent
While patient consent is not required
for the depositing of their medical record, a patient must
authorize consent before their HIE records can be shared
(except in case of emergency). Patients can give consent,
deny consent, or remain undecided, in which case their
information can only be accessed in case of emergency. Only
authorized users (physicians and office staff with a
treatment relationship with the patient) can access patient
information; the type of information available is determined
by the role (clinical or administrative) of the user.
The Consent Process
Patients will be offered a STHL Consent Form and their consent
choice will be recorded during patient registration at
participating healthcare organizations. Registration staff will be trained on the process and the
types of questions that patients typically ask. The consent
form (hardcopy or scanned) must be available for audit.
Healthcare consumers can also set their consent choices over
the internet via their STHL Patient Portal account.
Provider Access to the STHL Health Information Exchange
Providers with EHRs are encouraged to
connect directly to the STHL HIE. This requires establishing
a technical interface with STHL. Currently, Medent and
NextGen EHR software is supported, with other EHR software
interface in development. Contact STHL at 607.651.9150 or
for more information.
All providers can access the HIE via the STHL Web
Portal. This secure, web-based
tool allows health care providers to access their patients’
HIE records with a few mouse clicks. Below are training and
configuration resources for authorized health care providers. Contact STHL at 607.651.9150 or
for more information.
Costs
Providers who do not have an electronic record system can
still view patient information on the STHL Web
Portal via the internet with no
additional software required. Contact STHL for details.
STHL Patient Portal
Last Updated: 5/23/2013
