Little Rock, Arkansas July 2023 In a remarkable development for patient care, Simmons Care Clinics have recently adopted the SHARE Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform to leverage its Virtual Health Record and Direct Secure Messaging capabilities. This progressive move allows the clinics to enhance their healthcare services while also improving follow-up care for patients discharged from emergency departments (EDs) and inpatient (IP) facilities.
SHARE HIE has emerged as a leading healthcare information exchange platform, facilitating secure and efficient communication among healthcare providers. With its robust features and interoperability, SHARE HIE enables seamless exchange of patient health information, leading to better-informed decisions and improved patient outcomes. Simmons Care Clinics have recognized the potential of SHARE HIE and have integrated it into their operations to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare services.
One of the key benefits of the SHARE HIE platform for Simmons Care Clinics is the Virtual Health Record functionality. This advanced feature enables healthcare providers to access comprehensive patient records in real-time, regardless of the physical location. By utilizing the Virtual Health Record, Simmons Care Clinics can access recent hospital discharge summaries and specialist notes in real-time allowing for a holistic view of a patients’ needs.
Through the Direct Secure Messaging feature, Simmons Care Clinics can communicate securely and efficiently with other healthcare providers, such as EDs and IP facilities. This capability is particularly valuable for receiving notifications about patients who have recently been discharged from such facilities. By leveraging SHARE HIE to receive these hospitalization notifications, Simmons Care Clinics can ensure better follow-up care and post-discharge support for their patients.
The integration of SHARE HIE into the daily operations of Simmons Care Clinics has resulted in a significant transformation of their healthcare delivery model. Patients can now experience the convenience of the clinic accessing recent events outside of the clinic, saving them time from manually bringing in their paper records.
Moreover, the utilization of SHARE HIE for notifications on ED and IP discharges enhances the continuum of care for patients. By being promptly informed about their patients’ hospital visits and discharges, Simmons Care Clinics can proactively reach out to patients and provide necessary follow-up care, reducing the risk of complications and ensuring a smoother recovery process.
“In addition to benefiting patients, Simmons Care Clinics also reap substantial advantages from the adoption of SHARE HIE. The platform streamlines administrative processes by automating data exchange and reducing paperwork, resulting in improved efficiency, and reduced administrative burden for healthcare providers. Furthermore, the enhanced collaboration and communication fostered by SHARE HIE enable better care coordination and informed decision-making among the healthcare team at Simmons Care Clinics, said Vonda Syler, Administrator of Simmons Care Clinics.
Simmons Care Clinics’ implementation of SHARE HIE reflects their commitment to leveraging technology to deliver superior patient care. By harnessing the Virtual Health Record and Direct Secure Messaging capabilities, Simmons Care Clinics are at the forefront of utilizing innovative healthcare solutions. The integration of these advanced features has positioned the clinics to adapt to the evolving healthcare landscape and cater to the needs of their patients effectively.
As the healthcare industry continues to embrace digital transformation, Simmons Care Clinics’ partnership with SHARE HIE serves as a shining example of how technology can revolutionize healthcare delivery. By harnessing the power of information exchange and enhanced follow-up care, Simmons Care Clinics are setting new standards in patient-centric care and paving the way for a brighter future in healthcare.
About Simmons Care Clinic: Their vision is to improve the health and happiness of Simmons team members by offering affordable, high-quality healthcare.
Who is eligible for care at a Simmons Care Clinic? As healthcare costs continue to increase, Simmons Foods is dedicated to providing comprehensive family care at no cost to team members and their dependents covered by Simmons’ Medical Plan.
Clinic Locations: Siloam Springs, AR, Southwest City, MO, Van Buren, AR & Emporia, KS.
Learn more: http://simmonscareclinic.com
About UAMS Health| The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital:
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.
“Unity Health is excited to be a part of the SHARE network. Their vast health information system will allow our providers and care teams to connect with the resources that they need,” says Phil Miller, Chief Information Officer. “The principle of our mission is to achieve the best outcomes for our patients, and we are confident that this partnership advances that priority”, said Miller.
ABOUT UNITY HEALTH:
Little Rock, Arkansas April 2023 Despite the widespread availability of secure electronic data transfer, most medical information is sometimes locked in data silos. To improve the completeness of a patient’s record and close gaps in fragmented care coordination, ARcare Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC’s) continues to expand their connection to SHARE HIE. On Friday March 31, 2023, a massive tornado rummaged through Little Rock to Wynne, Arkansas causing destruction and devastation in its path. ARcare’s connection to SHARE HIE continues to offer a streamlined way to receive clinical data in real-time on the patients they serve throughout Arkansas while getting alerted on daily hospitalizations and emergency room encounters. The statewide community FQHC clinics have instant access to the most current patient-encounter data ─ physician notes, lab results, diagnostic results, procedures, ordered prescriptions and more ─ to inform clinical diagnoses at the point of care especially during national disasters such as tornadoes. 
Here’s how the partnership and collaboration work: When an ARcare patient arrives in the emergency department or is admitted to the hospital, SHARE sends out a notice of hospitalization. “SHARE hospitalization reports are delivered daily to ARcare’s clinics, which assists our care teams on ED and IP follow-up”, said Lauren Fields, Chief Nursing Officer. “The hospitalization reports assist us in transitions of care management of our patients statewide which allows for timely follow-up on a patient’s needs”, said Fields.
ARcare Story: For over 40 years, ARcare has instilled commitment, compassion, and trust throughout Arkansas, Kentucky & Mississippi. Beginning in 1986 with Dr. Steven Collier’s unquestionable mandate to serve “the least, the last, and the lost,” ARcare has brought superior healthcare to patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) HIE securely provides a comprehensive picture of a patient’s care across providers and regions with Access Medical Clinics. Access Medical Clinics now has over 35 clinics statewide from Garfield to El Dorado and growing. Patient’s records are updated 24/7 with each encounter with connection between SHARE and their Athena EMR. Connecting practitioners to timely and actionable patient information facilitates care coordination and promotes cost-effective solutions.
TESTIMONIAL: Our clinics have used SHARE HIE for over 5 years now and have been very satisfied with the service they provide. They do just what they set out to do and have connected our clinics with valuable patient health information including hospitalization reports daily. It is very common for there to be a delay in receiving patient records, and this can truly hinder the overall care they receive and their experience at the clinic. Having immediate access to this information has assisted us in providing more thorough treatment plans, medication management, and improved overall patient care. Our providers, like many, monitor large patient caseloads along with their medication management. The option to upload our provider caseloads to have alerts sent to them regarding their specific patients has assisted with providing the best patient care we can, while reducing duplicate work, and additional costs to the patients. Dr. Bradley Bibb, MD, Family Physician, Access Medical Clinic Arkansas
About Access Medical Clinic: Access Medical Clinic is a leading family practice providing a complete complement of care and treatment options for patients throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and Indiana. With its dedicated team of physicians, family nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and other healthcare providers and support staff, Access Medical Clinic is committed to helping every member of your family stay as healthy as possible at every age and every stage of life.
SHARE has received the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Outcomes-Based Certification (OBC). During the certification review, SHARE proposed three of its premier services for CMS to evaluate: event notification services, real time Medicaid clinical data exchange, and public health reporting capabilities. The certification allows SHARE to receive enhanced federal funding to support the ongoing operations and to continue our mission to improve the delivery, coordination, and quality of health care across Arkansas. 
Health Information Exchange (HIE) has the potential to change the way we provide and receive medical care. It can assist in eliminating fatal medical errors and save lives. Changes are on the way for health care in Central Arkansas. PrimeCare Medical Clinic, a multispecialty clinic with locations in Searcy, North Little Rock, Conway, and West Conway, has integrated their eCW electronic medical record system with SHARE HIE. The goal behind this coordinated effort is to better connect physicians with the patients’ health data while PrimeCARE Doctors, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners work collaboratively to provide excellent care with a more complete health record of their patient.
Benefits of SHARE HIE include better access to health care, less paperwork for doctors and patients, better care, increase in administrative efficiency, decrease in the cost of healthcare, and prevention of deadly medical errors. Having access to the most up-to-date patient information can assist care teams to deliver the best possible care, avoid duplicate medical tests, and save time.
About PrimeCare: Walk-in 7 Days a Week PrimeCARE makes seeing a provider easier! Their extended hours and medical expertise are here to help with urgent, non-life-threatening illness and injuries every day. Patients don’t need a prior appointment to see a provider and they accept most insurances. In Central Arkansas, their patients are never far from convenient family medicine!
ambulatory/specialty sites, and behavioral health centers to better track and manage continuity of care delivery activities for its population, specifically person’s living with multiple chronic conditions.
view of their health history, treatment, and progress. That is powerful information that transforms the way the clinics’ care team plans, delivers and coordinates with their patient population.
Amazing Staff: Julie Pennington, BSN, RN, Julia Barnes, MT, Milton Remley, Paramedic, Amy Jones, LPN, Hayley Woodard, LPN, Kylie Caldwell, RT(R) Kelby Smith, RT(R) Emmalee Satterlee, RT(R) Anna Wright, Keanu Green, Alex Cross, Lexi Dunaway, Evelyn Martinez, Stacy Burns, Kelli McTigrit, LCSW
