Little Rock, Arkansas June 2023 In the rapidly advancing world of healthcare, interoperability plays a crucial role in ensuring seamless data exchange and improving patient outcomes. This interoperability story revolves around CARTI, a leading cancer treatment center, and its successful integration with the SHARE Health Information Exchange (HIE). This partnership has brought numerous benefits to cancer patients, transforming their care experience, and enhancing the effectiveness of their treatments.
CARTI, renowned for its comprehensive cancer care, with 18 locations statewide, has long recognized the importance of interoperability in delivering optimal patient outcomes. The organization realized that by securely connecting its Flatiron-OncoEMR system with SHARE HIE, they could seamlessly exchange patient health information with other healthcare providers across the region. This exchange of data would significantly improve care coordination, reduce redundancies, and empower patients to become active participants in their own treatment journeys.
Integration Process: CARTI embarked on a strategic integration project to connect its EHR system with SHARE HIE, a trusted platform facilitating secure health data exchange. The process involved collaboration between CARTI’s IT team and SHARE HIE’s technical experts to establish a seamless connection while adhering to privacy and security regulations. Comprehensive testing and data validation were conducted to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the exchanged information.
"In the symphony of cancer care, CARTI's successful integration with SHARE HIE serves as the harmonizing force, unlocking the power of interoperability. Together, they compose a transformative melody, empowering healthcare providers to orchestrate seamless collaboration and deliver harmonized cancer care, fostering hope, healing, and endless possibilities."
Benefits of Interoperability for Cancer Patients
Streamlined Care Coordination: By connecting to SHARE HIE, CARTI unlocked the ability to securely share patient health records, diagnostic reports, treatment plans, and other pertinent data with other healthcare providers involved in the patient’s care continuum. This streamlined care coordination among various specialists, enabling them to make more informed decisions, avoiding duplicative tests, and ensuring timely interventions.
Reduced Medical Errors: Connection to SHARE eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the potential for human error. Accurate and up-to-date patient information is readily available to healthcare providers at the point of care, reducing the risk of medication errors, adverse reactions, and treatment discrepancies. This seamless exchange of information ensures that providers have a comprehensive view of the patient’s medical history, enabling them to make more informed decisions and less time waiting for medical records via fax.
Timely Access to Critical Information: In urgent situations, such as emergency visits or unexpected hospitalizations, timely access to a patient’s medical records is paramount. By integrating with SHARE HIE, CARTI enables healthcare providers to access critical patient data, including chemotherapy regimens, radiation therapy details, and any underlying comorbidities. This immediate access to vital information facilitates faster and more accurate decision-making, ensuring the best possible care for cancer patients.
CARTI’s successful integration with SHARE HIE has transformed cancer care by fostering interoperability and enabling seamless data exchange. The benefits extend beyond the individual patient, improving care coordination, patient engagement, and reducing medical errors. This CARTI story exemplifies the power of interoperability in revolutionizing healthcare delivery and ultimately enhancing the lives of cancer patients.
About CARTI:
CARTI is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary cancer care provider offering leading-edge medical, radiation and surgical oncology, interventional radiology, as well as an array of specialty services, including audiology, breast care, cancer genetics and risk management, dental care, imaging, urology and more. With 18 treatment locations across the state and Arkansas’ first dedicated cancer surgery center, CARTI makes trusted cancer care accessible for every patient it serves through compassion, innovation, and purpose. Since 1976, CARTI has delivered the world’s most advanced forms of cancer care in a compassionate, patient-centered environment. Their team of high-caliber medical, surgical and radiation oncologists and diagnostic radiologists work closely with our staff to offer patients a full range of treatment options within a single network of coordinated care.
An independent, not-for-profit cancer care provider, CARTI treats more than 35,000 patients each year from every county in Arkansas, and across the country. CARTI offers hematology/oncology services in Bryant, Clarksville, Clinton, Crossett, Conway, El Dorado, Heber Springs, Little Rock, Magnolia, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Stuttgart, and Russellville. Radiation therapy is provided at centers in Conway, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Searcy. Diagnostic radiology is also offered in Conway, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Russellville. CARTI believes treatment should be close to home and as convenient as possible.
While providing the best treatment available, they also feel compelled to help remove the fear and uncertainty that can accompany a cancer diagnosis. Their Patient Assistance program provides a broad scope of support services to meet the many needs of those fighting cancer. If you or someone in your family has been diagnosed with cancer and would like to make an appointment with any of their providers, please call 501.906.3000 or 855.552.2784.
Learn more about CARTI: https://www.CARTI.com
