Health Information Technology Changing Medicine in East Arkansas
July 2015 PCMH Newsletter
The Betton Clinic in Little Rock knows first-hand the benefits of using SHARE
Arkansas Children’s Hospital Joins SHARE
Physicians and providers all over the state can now access immediately and securely exchange current, updated electronic health records (EHRs) for thousands of Arkansas children, thanks to the contributions of Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), which is now pushing data through SHARE, the Statewide Health Information Exchange.
SHARE enables providers at different medical facilities across Arkansas to exchange medical records for patients they have in common. Using SHARE, a pediatrician can connect to a patient’s most current and comprehensive health information, including that patient’s health data from other facilities connected to SHARE.
For example, if six-year-old Josephina from Batesville is admitted to Children’s Hospital, her SHARE-connected pediatrician back home can securely access her health data from her stay in the hospital. Her pediatrician can then update her progress using SHARE, so that Josephina’s other SHARE-connected physicians can also stay informed about her care.
From a hospital’s perspective, if a child arrives in the Emergency Room for the first time after a car wreck, the ER staff is now able to pull up his record in SHARE, see his current medical condition and medications, and make better-informed decisions about his care on the spot.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Darrell Leonhard said the hospital was excited to be able to offer this level of care coordination for its patients. “We want the best experience possible for the kids we treat, and we see SHARE as a way to improve the already excellent care provided by the staff at ACH.”
ACH is one of 26 hospitals signed on to participate in SHARE. Arkansas Health Information Technology Coordinator Ray Scott said ACH’s participation marks a turning point for SHARE.
“We are very excited to have Arkansas Children’s Hospital as part of our SHARE network. Every time a new practice or hospital in the state joins SHARE, the network is that much more useful to its participants. Arkansas Children’s Hospital is the one that other providers in SHARE have been clamoring for—being able to access electronic records and communicate more easily with ACH makes SHARE significantly more powerful and relevant to all hospitals, physicians, therapists, and parents,” Scott said.
Scott said that research shows that patients whose health records are available via a secure health information exchange with their other physicians receive better care and have fewer duplicate tests and procedures ordered by the different physicians.
“SHARE makes health care better for all of us,” Scott said. “National studies show that the average patient in the U.S. sees 18 different providers. Think about that. Haven’t you ever wished your doctors could communicate your health information with each other so that the next provider you see knows what the previous one did for you? That’s what this linkage between ACH and SHARE makes possible.”
About SHARE
The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) is a secure, electronic system that allows authorized health care providers, health services professionals and public health authorities in Arkansas to exchange accurate patient medical information in real time. The Arkansas Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT), created by Act 891 of 2011, has implemented SHARE in a series of phases, beginning with Secure Messaging to help providers meet meaningful use requirements, and a fully-functional health information exchange (HIE) that gives health care providers access to hospital discharge summaries, lab results, immunization records and other vital information. For more information, visit www.SHAREArkansas.com.
About ACH
Arkansas Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States serving children from birth to age 21. Over the past century, ACH has grown to span 29 city blocks and house 370 beds, a staff of approximately 500 physicians, 95 residents in pediatrics and pediatric specialties and more than 4,000 employees. The private, nonprofit healthcare facility boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking medical research – all dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing, sustaining and restoring children's health and development. For more information, visit www.archildrens.org.
Two Arkansas Critical Access Hospitals receive grants for health IT connectivity
Two Arkansas Critical Access Hospitals receive grants for health IT connectivity
Awards from DRA and OHIT to link hospitals to state system
LITTLE ROCK, AR– Thanks in part to the Delta Regional Authority federal/state partnership with the Office of Health Information Technology, providers at Ashley County Medical Center and McGehee-Desha County Hospital now securely and privately can share their patients’ electronic health records with other authorized, SHARE-particpating physicians who are also caring for that patient, even when the doctors work outside of their systems.
Through the joint SHARE Connectivity Program, the Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) and the Delta Regional Authority awarded Ashley County Medical Center $5,000 in funds to connect the hospital to the statewide electronic Health Information Exchange, known as SHARE (State Health Alliance for Records Exchange).
The Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) expect to reap concrete benefits of SHARE implementation, in the form of improved patient outcomes, as well as long-term savings in both time and money as SHARE’s efficiencies reduce costs and improve workflow.
Small hospitals across the state have transitioned from paper records to an electronic medical record (EMR) system. However, these hospitals may not be able to efficiently exchange patient information with larger hospital systems outside of their local communities and with other health care providers throughout Arkansas without connecting to SHARE.
Another benefit of SHARE is that information entered into the system is updated immediately for all SHARE-connected providers, decreasing time lost to transferring and transcribing medical records, and decreasing medical errors from having insufficient or outdated patient information.
“SHARE saves families money,” Arkansas Health Information Technology Coordinator Ray Scott said. “Getting providers to access the same master patient health record can result in fewer duplicate tests or procedures ordered by multiple providers, and very often helps improve patient health.”
Providers must join SHARE to have access to these benefits. Scott said the SHARE access is exciting for these small hospitals, but not limited to them. He added, “Every new hospital or provider we connect to SHARE makes both SHARE and Arkansas health care that much stronger.”
The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) is Arkansas’ statewide health information exchange (HIE) that allows health care providers, related health services professionals, and public health authorities in Arkansas to access and exchange with each other real-time, secure, electronic patient information that is protected by privacy and security laws. Through its implementation and use, SHARE will reduce medical errors and duplicate testing, promote improved management of chronic diseases, and improve patient care coordination among unaffiliated health care providers.
State of Arkansas’ HIE SHARE Connects to Allscripts
Allscripts connects to State of Arkansas' HIE, SHARE
Connection to SHARE will enable the exchange and use of critical patient data to improve outcomes for practices using Allscripts EHR
CHICAGO AND LITTLE ROCK, AR– July 24, 2014 – Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) and the State of Arkansas have announced that Allscripts electronic health record (EHR) solutions are now fully connected to the state’s healthcare information exchange (HIE) for more efficient and effective exchange of critical patient information to improve the quality and delivery of care.
The State of Arkansas HIE organization, known as the State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE), is an interoperable database managed by the Arkansas Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT), the agency responsible for establishing and coordinating healthcare information technology (HIT) activities across the state.
The goal of OHIT and SHARE is to promote the effective use of HIT to increase the value attained through the delivery of healthcare services while improving the care and health of Arkansans. Establishing a connection to Allscripts-based systems will facilitate the exchange and use of patient data for thousands of patients.
“We are very pleased that SHARE-based Allscripts clients will be able to connect their patient data,” said Ray Scott, Arkansas HIT Coordinator at OHIT. “Allscripts patient information will enrich the depth and breadth of the SHARE database and will help enable providers—especially those in rural regions—to maintain the health of and improve the quality of care for patients.”
Allscripts comprehensive population health-enabled EHR solutions provide innovative, integrated and interoperable management of the complex medical needs of patients across settings, including ambulatory, acute and home care. Allscripts solutions are architected with integrated population health capabilities. This proprietary, community aware population health framework aggregates and organizes critical patient data, delivering it seamlessly into the clinicians’ workflow for superior decision-making power.
“Allscripts is committed to helping governments and their agencies meet their objectives to improve quality of care,” said Paul M. Black, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. “By connecting to SHARE, we will help providers with critical access to information to improve the quality of care for many Arkansans, including those in rural areas.”
About Allscripts
Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) is a leader in healthcare information technology solutions that advance clinical, financial and operational results. Our innovative solutions connect people, places and data across an Open, Connected Community of Health™. Connectivity empowers caregivers to make better decisions and deliver better care for healthier populations. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com, Twitter, YouTube and It Takes A Community: The Allscripts Blog.
OHIT Reports HIE Progress Made in 2013
As 2013 draws to a close, we are taking this opportunity to reflect on a year of tremendous progress made in the implementation of the statewide health information exchange. These are the major milestones we've achieved thanks to the efforts of our OHIT staff, vendor partnerships and support of the health care community:
- 148 health care sites and 498,454 patient records are on-boarded to SHARE.
- OHIT and Delta Regional Authority partnered to offer $10,000 grants to Critical Access and Small Rural Hospitals to connect to SHARE. Grants will be awarded to 12 hospitals in January 2014.
- OHIT is helping make SHARE more affordable to the provider community by negotiating statewide contracts with EMR vendors that reduce or eliminate the vendor’s one-time interface fee to connect to SHARE. The average savings for providers is $10,000.
- OHIT is building interfaces to the Arkansas Department of Health, including a gateway for Immunizations and connectivity for ELR and Syndromic Surveillance to automate public health reporting through SHARE.
- For the Arkansas PCMH project, effective January 2014, Medicaid is requiring Practices to use SHARE to transmit admission/discharge data between unaffiliated participants.
For the full report, download the 2013 Year-End Summary [PDF]
Saline River Chronicle: Rural Hospitals in Arkansas to Recieve Funding for Health IT Connectivity
Fierce Health IT: HIE Grants Offered to Rural Arkansas Hospitals
EHR Intelligence: Arkansas Invests in Rural Health IT Conectivity
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