Happy Holidays from Southern Tier HealthLink 

   

 

Southern Tier HealthLink Newsletter

December 2012

In This Issue

Happy New Year From STHL

STHL Represented on Broome Community College Advisory Committee

Speech Recognition Expert to Present at MEDENT Users Forum January 29th 2013

Did You Know? This week is National Gluten-Free Baking Week

ONC Releases Privacy and Security Web-Based Training Game

Get Paid for 2012: Stay Informed of Key Program Deadlines

STHL Social Media

STHL Staff

 

FAST FACTS

Current Stats:

 

Patients:

Providing affirmative consent: 144,455

 

Organizations connected to STHL:

Hospitals: 5

Practices: 122

Imaging Center: 1

Long Term Care Facilities: 2

Public Health Department: 2

Comprehensive Mental Health Organization: 1

 

Providers and Clinicians:

Total users;  1,886

 

Patient Portal:

25,130

 

November Transactions:

Records sent out and queries: 46,534

Tioga County Public Health Department Live with Consent Collection and STHL Web Portal Access

 

 
 

The Tioga County Public Health Department went live with consent collection and Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) Web Portal access in November. With patient consent, the nursing staff in the Tioga County Health Department's Certified Home Health Care and Long Term Home Health Care programs can quickly access a patient's comprehensive health information from the STHL health information exchange and its connected participating organizations in a quick and efficient manner.


 "Through the STHL Web Portal the nurses in our Certified Home Health and Long Term Home Health Care programs have access to a patient's up-to-date health information including lab results, medications, and reports available through the Lourdes and UHS hospital systems, and other connected health care organizations. The ease of access to this information will save our staff the time that was previously consumed by the challenge of obtaining the same information by phone and fax. The nursing services we provide to our patients and their families in the community are very important to us, and we strive to provide the best care possible. By incorporating health information exchange into the work that we do we can make it even better." - Johannes Peeters, Director of Public Health


The Tioga County Certified Home Health Agency and Long Term Home Health Care Program allow patients to stay at home as an alternative to remaining in the hospital, or another type of institution, and to become as independent as possible in managing their own health needs.


The Tioga County Health Department is certified by the New York State Department of Health to provide a variety of services for those with temporary illnesses or chronic health conditions. Their home care personnel bring quality care into the home on an intermittent basis. Agency personnel work directly under physician orders and are able to assist patients and their families in a variety of ways. Services provided include skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and more.


To learn about the valuable nursing services, public education, and more provided by the Tioga County Health Department visit their website at http://www.tiogacountyny.com/departments/health-department.html
.


To learn more about the STHL Web Portal contact STHL at 607-651-9150, or visit us on the web at www.sthlny.com.

Happy New Year From STHL

 

As we enter another holiday season, Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank its many stakeholders, participating providers and staff, as well as software partners and associates for their efforts in making 2012 a great year for our Regional Health Information Exchange.

  

With each passing year we continue to realize the benefits of "connecting the dots" for better healthcare.  The Holiday season is an excellent time to reflect upon the many gifts we receive, and to say thank you to all who work together - particularly in the demanding, complex world of healthcare - to make the Southern Tier a great place to live.  

  

Please accept our very best holiday wishes and our pledge to make 2013 a happy and most productive New Year!

  

To learn more about STHL, contact us at 607-651-9150, or visit us on the web at www.sthlny.com

 

 

STHL Represented on Broome Community College Advisory Committee

 

 

Kirsten Griffin, RHIT, Project Coordinator - Provider Relations for Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) was recently selected to serve as a member of the Broome Community College (BCC) Advisory Committee for the Health Information Technology (HIT) Program and Medical Transcription Certificate Program. The committee is a requirement of the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).  CAHIIM is the accrediting organization that has independent authority in all actions pertaining to accreditation of educational programs in health informatics and health information management.  BCC continues to receive accreditation from CAHIIM for its HIT Associate Degree program.

 

The Advisory Committee is made up of representatives from various communities of interest including BCC faculty, area hospitals and other professional healthcare organizations.  The committee responsibilities include assisting program faculty and sponsoring educational institution personnel with development and revision of program goals and curriculum, monitoring program needs and expectations, and ensuring program responsiveness to change. 


STHL participates in the BCC HIT program student clinical practicum each Spring and Fall by accepting a senior year student as an intern for a clinical experience.  As part of the clinical practicum students have the opportunity to work alongside STHL staff and on special projects to gain knowledge of the day-to-day operations of our community's Health Information Exchange (HIE).  Students are able to 'connect the dots' and learn how electronic health records are an important and crucial aspect of healthcare today as HIE provides the ability to create a comprehensive patient health record and secure electronic exchange of health information across organizations to improve patient care and safety, and reduce costs.

 

To learn more about the HIT program at BCC visit them on the web at https://mycollege.sunybroome.edu/web/www/hit.

 

To learn more about STHL, visit us on the web at www.sthlny.com or contact us at 607-651-9150

 

 

Speech Recognition Expert to Present at MEDENT Users Forum January 29th 2013

 

Join us on Tuesday, January 29th from 4-6 PM at the MEDENT Users Forum with special guest Dana Abramson, President and founder of Achieve Results Training based in Rochester.  Dana will present an overview, tips, and tools for using Dragon speech recognition software to benefit your practice.

 

Dana has trained thousands of professionals to successfully use Dragon speech recognition software to improve their work productivity and communication accuracy.  A Certified Cognitive Behavioral Modification Group Facilitator and Certified Dragon Speech Recognition Skills trainer for the past 13 years, Abramson has developed a proprietary training methodology that yields an unprecedented user satisfaction rate well over 95%.  Abramson's patented approach results in fewer than 5% of Achieve Results participants abandoning the software compared to an estimated 85% of individuals who will get frustrated and give up due to ineffective training methods.  Achieve Results Corp. is ranked one of the top training firms by Nuance, the leading provider of such software.  Abramson is a leading expert in Dragon software training and has been quoted in national, regional, and local media, including; For The Record, the Boston Globe, the Democrat and Chronicle, YNN and the Rochester Business Journal.  Her column on speech recognition technology has appeared in the Daily Record, and the Buffalo Law Journal.
 

Dana manages a Dragon Users Group and the Dragon Blog which provides training and support information for all professional users of Dragon software. The information provides an easy and interesting way to gradually increase your skill and knowledge, allowing you to get the most out of your Dragon software. For more information visit the Achieve Results website at www.achieveresultstraining.com.

  

  

Whether you use MEDENT Practice Management or MEDENT EMR you are sure to gain valuable insight and information about how making speech recognition software part of your practice can improve your efficiency and profitability. 

For more information about this upcoming MEDENT Users Forum, contact Kirsten Griffin at STHL at 607-651-9150.

 

To learn more about STHL, visit us on the web at www.sthlny.com or contact us at 607-651-9150

 

 

Did You Know?  This week is National Gluten-Free Baking Week

 

For those who are gluten free, the holidays can be an especially hard time of year. With wonderful cookies, cakes, and other delectable food items readily available, someone with Celiac disease can easily start to feel left out.  

 

Coworkers, friends, and even family members might not understand their condition and why they really can't have the treats - or why they might not even be able to share in the holiday meal that took all day to prepare!

 

Exactly what is Celiac disease?  Why a gluten-free diet?  What does that even mean? 

 

Celiac disease currently has no known cause and can begin to affect someone at any point in their life.  When someone with Celiac disease digests a food that contains gluten, it causes a reaction that damages the lining of the intestines. This damage reduces the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food - possibly leading to malnourishment. Celiac sufferers endure many gastrointestinal symptoms and over time can even develop more severe symptoms that affect other parts of the body.

  

The only way to treat Celiac disease is by following a lifelong gluten-free diet.  Going "gluten free" can be a difficult adjustment - not only for the patient, but for their support system as well.  Food, beverage, and medication labels must be scrutinized carefully to detect hidden sources of gluten.  Gluten-free foods can easily be cross contaminated by cooking surfaces, cooking utensils, or processing equipment.  It is important that anyone following a gluten-free diet communicate their allergy to whoever might purchase, prepare, or handle their food, as well as their physician to avoid prescribing medications or immunizations that contain gluten.

  

Click HERE to find tips from leading gluten-free experts, safe ingredient lists, gluten-free holiday recipes, and more! If you know someone gluten-free this holiday season, spread some extra cheer by sharing this excellent resource.

 

Learn more about Celiac Disease.

 

 

ONC Releases Privacy and Security Web-Based Training Game

  

 

(ONC) Office of the Chief Privacy Officer (OCPO) has released its first web-based security training module, CyberSecure: Your Medical Practice.The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's

 

The security training module, which was developed with the assistance of the Regional Extension Center Program's Privacy and Security Community of Practice, uses a game format that requires users to respond to privacy and security challenges often faced in a typical small medical practice. Users choosing the right response earn points and see their virtual medical practices flourish. But users making the wrong security decisions can negatively affect their virtual practices.
The use of gamification by ONC is an innovative approach aimed at educating health care providers to make more informed decisions regarding privacy and security of health information.

 

To play the game click here.

 

 ONC is organizationally located within the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is the principal federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information.

 

To learn more about the ONC visit them on the web at http://www.healthit.gov/newsroom/about-onc

 

 

Get Paid for 2012: Stay Informed of Key Program Deadlines

  

 

  

December 31 deadline


The reporting year ends on December 31, 2012 for eligible professionals (EPs) participating in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in 2012. For participating EPs, this means they must have completed their 90 or 365-day reporting period (within the calendar year) by the end of 2012 in order to receive an incentive payment.


When do I attest?
 

Medicare EPs must complete attestation for the 2012 program year by February 28, 2013, but can attest as soon as their reporting period is complete.  CMS encourages EPs to register and attest sooner rather than later to resolve any potential issues that may delay their payment.
 

Medicaid EPs should check with their State for their attestation deadline.


Resources from CMS:
 

CMS has several resources located on the EHR Incentive Programs website to help EPs properly meet meaningful use and attest, including:

  • A Registration & Attestation page on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs website that houses information on registration and attestation, and includes links to additional resources.
  • The Meaningful Use Attestation Calculator allows EPs and eligible hospitals to determine if they have met the Stage 1 meaningful use guidelines before they attest in the system. The calculator prints a copy of each EP's or eligible hospital's specific measure summary.
  • The Attestation User Guide for Medicare Eligible Professionals provides step-by-step guidance for EPs participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program on navigating the attestation system.
  • The Attestation Worksheet for EPs allows users to enter their meaningful use measure values, creating a quick reference tool to use while attesting.

 

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?


Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

  

 

 

STHL Social Media

 

Keep posted on all the latest news and information from Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) through our Social Media sites!  

 

Like us on Facebook to learn more about Health Information Exchange and for general health education and tips, local events, healthcare news, and more!    

  

Follow our Pins and Boards on Pinterest to keep up-to-date on exciting advances in healthcare technology as well as tons of healthcare tips!  Not on Pinterest?  No Problem!  Use our Pinterest App on Facebook to view and share our Pins with your friends.

 

  

Follow us on Twitter @NYHealthScape for the latest news in HIE and healthcare, events, and information about STHL's presence in Second Life.

 

Read our digital magazine, "Electronic Health Information Exchange" on Scoop.It! to discover the latest national and worldwide healthcare news through articles from various sources on the web, updated daily.

Find us on LinkedIn to learn more about our organization and the services we offer to the medical community of the Southern Tier. If you're on LinkedIn, join our professional network!

 

 

Like us on Facebook      Follow us on Twitter       View our profile on LinkedIn

 

 

STHL STAFF

 

Executive Director

Christina Galanis

 

Deputy Director

Emily Pape

 

Deputy Director of Technology & Operations

Paul Almy

 

Project Coordinators

Kirsten Griffin, Marie Santare-Shaver, Staci Molyneaux

 

Database Coordinator

Crystal Kithcart

 

Help Desk Support Specialist

Christina Anastos

 

Administrative Officer

Michelle Cleveland

 

Administrative Secretary

Patricia Blackman

 

 

Southern Tier HealthLink | Former Lackawanna Train Station | 45 Lewis Street | Binghamton | NY | 13901

 

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