LifeBridge Health has begun an electronic exchange of health information between its two hospitals, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Northwest Hospital, and Saint Agnes Hospital, a community hospital. The hospitals have an overlapping service area but use different EMR systems. “We wanted to pilot a health information exchange to learn about the technology, how much
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When discussing healthcare reform, most politicians and stakeholders agree that patient medical data must be more readily accessible to caregivers, regardless of the venue of care. In communities across the country, health information exchanges (HIEs) are focused on facilitating the clinical data exchange process. While specific HIE models vary greatly, all require participation from multiple
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In December 2007, we reported that in an effort to simplify EMR contracting procedures and increase the rate of EMR adoption among physician offices, The Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) established a Standards of Excellence (SOE) designation for physician systems vendors. We quoted Sue Hertlein, a senior consultant with the Alpharetta, GA-based Coker Group, who
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This month the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) took its first step towards creating statewide online access to patient medical data with its launch of MSMS Connect. To achieve its full potential, however, the medical society must obtain buy-in from physicians and regional health information exchanges. “There is an opportunity here in the state of
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Interoperability, patient safety and quality ranked high on the priority lists of attendees at this year’s annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), held at Chicago’s sprawling McCormick Place. Nearly as pressing was many attendees’ desire to free patient data held hostage in their PACS. Eager spectators filled the seats at the
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Cleveland Clinic’s CIO Dr. C. Martin Harris is optimistic that his health system’s recent partnership with Microsoft will ultimately improve patient care as well as provide economic benefits. At the beginning of November, Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH and Microsoft teamed up to pilot a patient-controlled data exchange using Microsoft’s HealthVault product and Cleveland Clinic’s
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As the focus on electronic health information exchange grows, the issue of engaging and educating consumers about privacy, security, and benefits has moved to the forefront. Developing educational materials regarding health IT and electronic health information exchange for consumers has been the focus of the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration (HISPC) Consumer Education and
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