• Connected to region’s first and only sub-specialty children’s hospital clinic, that offers easy access to complete pediatric healthcare in Northeast Arkansas
• Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) are being shared with referral providers ranging from Neurosurgery to Fetal Cardiology

October 2019 Little Rock, Arkansas.   The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) is proud to partner with Arkansas Children’s Hospital Jonesboro Clinic that is now sending data to Arkansas’ only Statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE).  Arkansas Children’s Hospital Jonesboro Clinic offers easy access to complete pediatric healthcare.  Northeast Arkansas has the third-largest concentration of children in the state with approximately 36 children per square mile. Arkansas Children’s Hospital Jonesboro Clinic saves approximately 700,000 minutes of patient travel time to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock each year.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital Jonesboro Clinic is sending Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) that include: Admission, Discharge and Transfer (ADT) information, Laboratory Results, Radiology Reports, Pathology Reports, Progress Notes, Discharge Summaries, Vitals, Allergies, Diagnosis and Conditions to assist in better care coordination and transitions of care.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital Jonesboro Clinic wants healthier kids in Northeast Arkansas. Their 18-specialty clinic offers a full-time neurologist and cardiologist, so patients have easy access to specialty care from doctors who are focused on caring for kids. This kind of dedicated, specialized pediatric care can make all the difference for you and your child. Stay close and let them play a little longer.

 

18+ Specialties in One Location

 

About Arkansas Children’s

Arkansas Children's, Inc. is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 710,000 children and transforming the health of children throughout the region. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in five pediatric subspecialties (2019-2020): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Pulmonology.

ACH is one of only five hospitals in the nation that have achieved Magnet Status, ACS Level 1 verification and a Beacon award from the American Association of Critical- Care Nurses. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, opened in Springdale in early 2018. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can fundamentally transform the health of children in Arkansas and beyond.

To learn more, visit www.archildrens.org

 

Seven federal-qualified community health center sites will now have access to real-time electronic patient data to better serve their patient population in Central Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas – September 2019   

Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, Inc. (JCCSI) is a large group of seven federally qualified health centers (FQHC), throughout Central Arkansas. All seven JCCSI locations have connected with the State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE). SHARE is the only statewide health information exchange (HIE) in Arkansas that facilitates the secure exchange of patient health information among hospitals, physicians, clinicians and other members of the medical community.

JCCSI is committed to delivering high-quality care in a professional and caring environment to improve the health and well-being of their patients. By connecting with SHARE, JCCSI expects to further this commitment by exchanging information more efficiently with referring physicians and providing their doctors, nurses and health care teams with the patient information they need at the point of care.

JCCSI’s seven locations are now live with SHARE, which features a robust patient search functionality that lets providers quickly, query and response mechanism, access patient health data from hospitals, physician practices, state health systems and more. This includes records such as continuity of care documents (CCDs), medical histories, previous diagnoses, lab tests, vitals, progress report notes, medications and allergies. Through this integration with their eClinicalWorks (eCW) electronic medical record (EMR) system, JCCSI queries SHARE for any patient data outside of their local EMR environment.  Additionally, SHARE provides access to 24-hour daily reports on all their patients, regardless of insurance provider, when they are admitted and discharged from any connected hospital’s emergency department and inpatient discharges in real-time.  

JCCSI moved its Open Hand Center to the Jericho Way Resource Center located at 3000 Springer Blvd Little Rock, Arkansas. The new site offers the homeless population more access to quality health care because of its proximity to the resource center.  With this new partnership, JCCSI will be able to safely exchange patient medical records with any organization on the SHARE system, which will help improve care coordination and lead to better health outcomes.

“Together, we will have the opportunity to turn health data into actionable information for providers. We aim to improve care quality throughout Arkansas, “said Anne Santifer, SHARE Executive Director.

Health care organizations are often siloed and face challenges such as faxing medical records and viewing limited or incomplete patient records. SHARE’s technology is changing that by securely exchanging data between participants; as a result, physicians and care teams will have instant access to patient medical records.

About Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, Inc. (JCCSI)

Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, Inc. (JCCSI) was incorporated in 1972 as a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the provision of comprehensive health care services. In 1973, the corporation established its first clinic in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Throughout its existence, JCCSI has increased access to health services in both rural and urban areas by developing additional clinics in Altheimer, College Station, Little Rock, Redfield and North Little Rock, AR.  JCCSI is a Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Deemed, organization that is governed by a volunteer board of directors. At least 51% of the board must be consumers of their services. The board members reside in the communities they serve.

“The mission of JCCSI is to provide high quality, accessible primary health care and social services to all patients, especially to vulnerable and special populations, such as the homeless and individuals living with HIV/AIDS.”

Learn more about JCCSI: http://www.jccsi.org/

 

Jefferson Comprehensive Care System Locations

Little Rock, Arkansas   September 2019

The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) announces a continued partnership McGehee Hospital in an innovative move that allows the secure sharing of patient medical records with other SHARE connected physicians and providers in the Arkansas delta region of McGehee.

The continued partnership with McGhee Hospital allows for the secure flow of McGehee Hospital patient data to SHARE, Arkansas’ only statewide health information exchange (HIE). This connection also includes the McGehee Family Clinic. Health care providers in Desha County and neighboring counties can securely access medical records through SHARE. Patient records are available around the clock and in real-time, enhancing patient care in the delta region. Patients of McGehee Hospital and McGehee Family Clinic benefit from a higher quality of care as a result of this connection. Now caregivers, family doctors, emergency room physicians, specialists, pharmacies and long-term care facilities can have secure, HIPAA-compliant access to patient records in real time as a SHARE participant.

SHARE is integrated with hospital and clinic electronic health record (EHR) systems, CPSI. They are sending admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) information, laboratory results, radiology reports, discharge summaries, vitals, allergies, diagnosis and conditions to assist in better care coordination and transitions of care. 

SHARE is also assisting in real-time 30-day readmissions. The 30-day readmission notification project allows the hospital to receive a secure message notification when a patient that discharged from their facility, was readmitted into any SHARE participating hospital within a 30-day timeframe.

Additionally, SHARE provides access to 24-hour daily reports notifying the primary care clinic providers and care coordinators when their Arkansas Medicaid patients are admitted and discharged from the emergency department and inpatient discharges in real time.  The care teams are also accessing clinical information across participating entities for patients who have authorized sharing their medical information through SHARE’s Virtual Health Record and Secure Messaging.

Accessing patient information through this secure exchange allows significant access to better coordination with hospitals, specialists and behavioral health providers across the state to see a more robust picture of their patients’ medical histories, engendering efficient and safe continuity of care.  By accessing the Virtual Health Record (VHR), it displays information as a traditional clinical chart, with tabs to separate patient information into groups for easy chart review. The VHR retrieves and shows all available data for a selected patient gathered from all participants within SHARE to enable a single, consolidated view of a patient’s health history.

McGehee Hospital and Clinic can view the following patient data through SHARE’s VHR:

• Admission, Discharge and Transfer reports
• Allergies, Problems, Medications
• Demographic and Insurance information
• Laboratory results and Radiology reports, image links
• Discharge Summaries, Continuity of Care Documents and Progress Notes
• Immunizations and Vitals

Not all technology improves patient care–that’s why SHARE focuses on providing only the data McGehee Hospital and McGehee Family Clinic needs and have the right tools to integrate with their workflow and systems, meaning they save time and can focus on what matters most…the patient.

About McGehee Hospital and McGehee Family Clinic

The McGehee community benefits daily from the success of the Share the Pride campaign. The hospital is modern and well-equipped. The McGehee Family Clinic is open weekdays Monday-Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to noon.  At the clinic, McGehee residents continue to experience convenient one-stop healthcare, low wait time and superior personal care. New programs to help those with chronic illnesses are in development. The new clinic has a direct $2.4 million economic impact on the community. Learn more about McGehee Hospital and McGehee Family Clinic:  http://www.mymcgeheehospital.org

Little Rock, Arkansas – September 2019

Jefferson Regional is a large hospital system in the heart of Pine Bluff, Arkansas that is connected with the State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE).  Through their integration with their Allscripts electronic health record (EHR) system, Jefferson Regional is currently sending admission, discharge and transfer (ADT), laboratory results and radiology results to SHARE.  

Jefferson Regional is expanding their connection by sharing continuity of care documents (CCDs) by querying SHARE for any patient data outside of their local EHR environment. The sophisticated querying of the health information exchange (HIE) brings in patient health data from outside their hospital and clinic’s system in a single continuity of care document to help manage their patients.

This patient data will include admission, discharge and transfer data, lab results, radiology reports, immunizations, progress notes, pathology reports, discharge summaries, medications, emergency room visits and vitals.  From this one customized, easy-to-use interface, Jefferson Regional will be able to manage their patients’ clinical care better. SHARE is the only statewide HIE in Arkansas that facilitates the secure exchange of patient health information among hospitals, physicians, clinicians and other members of the medical community.

Being a hospital health system doesn’t mean things are simpler. They deal with the same complexities and changes facing the health care industry, often with fewer resources to help adapt. Connecting to SHARE’s fully integrated clinical solution makes it easy for Jefferson Regional to reach a new level in care delivery.

One of SHARE’s primary goals is to provide the right data, to the right provider at the right time to reform the health care delivery system. SHARE provides a patient-centric solution that allows providers to view the medical records of patients across the range of care. With a patient’s consent, doctors at hospitals, emergency departments, nursing homes or provider offices can look up medical records from any participating organization. SHARE can immediately alert doctors when their patient is in the emergency room or admitted to the hospital.

To better track and securely share patient’s complete medical histories, more and more health care physicians and hospitals are participating in health information exchange. HIE’s helps facilitate coordinated patient care, reduce duplicative treatments and avoid costly mistakes. This hospital system is growing in mid-South Arkansas in the western edge of the Arkansas Delta, because the need for HIE is clear and the HIE benefits are significant. A few examples of HIE benefits include:

• Improve patient safety by reducing medication and medical errors;
• Increase efficiency by eliminating unnecessary paperwork and handling;
• Eliminate redundant or unnecessary testing;
• Improve healthcare quality and outcomes; and reduce health related costs.

SHARE securely collects clinical data from providers’ EHRs, aggregates the data, indexes it and catalogs it by type. That data includes patient events, such as emergency department or hospital admissions, doctor notes, laboratory results, radiology reports, medications and care summaries. It then makes this data available to treating providers. HIEs provide a secure statewide network of a patient’s clinical data, saving time and money while proving the best care possible. We call that care coordination.

About Jefferson Regional

Jefferson Regional Medical Center is located in mid-South Arkansas in western edge of the Arkansas Delta. It’s an area rich with tradition and filled with strong people who have weathered the societal and economic storms of life and succeeded. They persevere to make a better future for themselves and their families. Life in the Delta is sometimes filled with uncertainty, but it’s also filled with history, creativity, industrial development, rich farmland and even richer traditions.

Yes, there are challenges, but with challenges come opportunities. Jefferson Regional is a unique position to see both every day. In the Delta Region, poverty is widespread, and many in their community struggle daily to put food on the table with very little left over to pay for other needs, such as health care. Chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease have continued to grow at alarming rates. Over the course of more than 100 years, they’ve responded to many of these challenges, developing programs and services to meet these needs.

Jefferson Regional is sharp-focused on delivering health care to their community. And they deliver it in ways that other hospitals could not. Looking across the years, you’ll see countless examples of how they’ve brought cutting-edge technology to the Delta to fulfill their mission. Beginning with traditional X-ray technology almost a century ago and evolving all the way through state-of-the-art computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), they’ve made whatever investment was needed to keep their services current. And all the while they’ve continued to aggressively recruit physicians, who have brought the talent needed to utilize this technology. Now, after spending more than a century as the beating heart of health care in Southeast Arkansas, they find themselves uniquely specialized to provide health care at home.

Learn more about Jefferson Regional: https://www.jrmc.org  

Jefferson Regional Locations

 

Jefferson Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center- Outpatient Surgery Center

• JPC1 1609 W. 40th Ave. Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Children's Clinic of South Arkansas- Pediatrics

• 1420 W. 43rd Ave. Pine Bluff, AR 71603

JRMC Neurology Clinic

• 1609 West 40th Avenue – Suite 207 Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Jefferson Regional Medical Center- Primary Hospital

• 1600 W 40th Ave Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Cardiology Associates of South Arkansas

• 1601 W 40th Ave Suite 301 Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Healthcare Plus- Walk-In Clinic & Occupational Health

• I-530 Medical Mall 4747 Dusty Lake Drive, G1 Pine Bluff, AR 71603

GI Associates of South Arkansas- Digestive Care

• 1609 West 40th Ave. Suite 202 Pine Bluff, AR

Endocrinology of South Arkansas- Diabetes, Thyroid and Hormone Conditions

• 7500 Dollarway Road Suite 404 White Hall, AR 71602

Family Health Associates of Southeast Arkansas- Family Medicine

• I-530 Medical Mall 4747 Dusty Lake Drive Suite 202 Pine Bluff, AR 71603
• 1801 W. 40th Ave. Suite 6A Pine Bluff, AR  71603

OB/GYN Associates of South Arkansas- Women’s’ Health

• 1609 West 40th Avenue Suite 201 Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Surgical Associates of Southeast Arkansas- General Surgery

• 1609 West 40th Avenue Suite 403 Pine Bluff, AR 71603
• 1801 West 40th Avenue Suite 7B Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Pine Bluff Specialty Clinic- Pulmonology, Lung, Respiratory and Critical Care

• 1601 West 40th Avenue Suite 301 Pine Bluff, AR 71603

South Arkansas Orthopedic & Spine Center- Bone, Joint and Muscle Care

• 1609 West 40th Avenue Suite 501 Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Pain Specialists of South Arkansas- Interventional Pain Management

• 1609 West 40th Avenue Suite 312 Pine Bluff, AR 71603

JRMC Urgent Care Center- Walk-In Clinic, Urgent Care

• 4201 S. Mulberry Street Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71603

JRMC Wound Care Center- Chronic Non-Healing Wound Care

• 1609 W. 40th Ave. Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Little Rock, Arkansas September 2019

State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE), the state’s only statewide health information exchange (HIE), has announced a major Data Participation Agreement with Arkansas Renal Group, P.A. This agreement includes their locations throughout Arkansas in; Arkadelphia, Camden, Crossett, El Dorado, Hot Springs, Magnolia, Mena, Russellville and Warren. These locations will be able to share medical records with all other data participants of the health information exchange. Arkansas Renal Group, P.A. is a leading health care provider for patients suffering from kidney related illness, serving the west-central and south Arkansas regions.

For the last thirty years or so, the fax machine has been a major tool in the American health care system. Primary care practices, specialists, hospitals, labs, and imaging facilities have been exchanging huge amounts of information—orders, referrals, images, and lab results, for example — by fax every day. According to a report by Vox, fax machines make up 75 percent of all medical communication. Faxing relies on staff to sort through records and add them to the appropriate patient chart. Fax numbers can change, and patient records could be landing at the local Walmart instead of the intended provider’s office. There is no way to track or audit where faxes go or who saw them.

“Faxing requires a lot of personnel time touching the data and verifying it to make sure you are matching the right data to the right person to avoid errors. We know that our participants deal with a lot of data every day, and faxing is not the best choice for them. It’s really inefficient and not very secure,” says Justin Villines HIT Policy Integrator at SHARE.

Arkansas Renal Group, P.A. is connecting to SHARE to have a faster, more reliable and more secure way to exchange data. “We are eager to collaborate with such a prestigious organization,” says Anne Santifer, Executive Director of SHARE. “SHARE and Arkansas Renal Group will work together to identify and implement specific use cases which are intended to demonstrate improved quality of care, reduction in administration efforts and better patient outcomes,” Santifer said.

Arkansas Renal Group, P.A. is one of the largest nephrology (kidney care) practices in Arkansas and continues to offer the latest innovations in medical technology and surgical techniques to patients with a variety of renal conditions. Their physicians and professional staff comprise one of the most experienced and respected nephrology practices in the west-central and south Arkansas regions.

Through this interface connection with their Aprima electronic medical record (EMR), Arkansas Renal Group, P.A. will be able to utilize the technologically infrastructure to securely transfer patient lab test results, diagnosis, allergies, conditions, medications and discharge summaries to its network of health care providers.  Electronic access to a patient’s results gives physicians and other health care providers in the patients’ chain of health care providers the results of lab tests, patient records such as diagnosis, medical history, discharge summaries, lab results, medications, immunizations, vitals and allergies faster to make sound clinical decisions.

This agreement comes on the heels of a surge in growth for SHARE, which has seen multiple hospitals, health plans, and clinics joining its exchange in recent months. With one of the largest renal practices in Arkansas contributing data to the health information exchange, this will continue to offer the latest innovations to referral health care organizations throughout Arkansas. 

Learn More about Arkansas Renal Group, P.A. at: http://www.arkneph.com

Arkansas Renal Group Locations

 

SHARE is working to facilitate Regional Family Medicine automated submissions to Arkansas Immunization Registry (WebIZ).

Little Rock, Arkansas —September 2019  Beginning in fall of 2018, SHARE and Regional Family Medicine have worked together to bring a new feature to their clinic. They can automatically submit immunization records to the Arkansas Immunization Information System (WEBIZ) through SHARE, the only statewide health information exchange (HIE).

By implementing this direct connection, SHARE and Regional Family Medicine are eliminating the need for manual and duplicate entry. They are saving their providers and nurses time by automating a previously tedious task. Regional Family Medicine has two locations in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Through this advancement, their providers, their staff and their patients are reaping the benefits.

SHARE has been connected to WEBIZ for the last few years, bringing immunization information to providers treating patients throughout Arkansas’ 75 counties that make up our service area. WEBIZ was built to house complete, accurate, secure, real-time immunization records for the state. Providers can access these records when treating their patients to have a comprehensive understanding of their health needs through SHARE. Regional Family Medicine, who was already contributing data to the HIE, is now also connected to Immunization Registry (WEBIZ) through SHARE.

 

 

 

 

SHARE is also routing the Regional Family Medicine providers at both clinics the results of their patient’s lab results, diagnosis, discharge summaries, medications from other facilities that are on a different electronic medical record (EMR) system. This information is routed into their patient’s chart in their eMDs system such as Baxter Regional Medical Center (BRMC), Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), UAMS, North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) and soon hospitals in Missouri. This aids in making proper diagnoses, reduces delays in treatment, and eliminates redundant testing if a patient has been referred to another health care provider. The Main Clinic also has a Saturday urgent care clinic to better the needs of their patients.

SHARE provides them access to 24-hour daily reports which notifies primary care clinic providers and care coordinators when their Arkansas Medicaid patients are admitted and discharged from the emergency department and inpatient discharges in real time.  Electronic access to a patient’s results gives physicians and other health care providers in the patient’s chain of health care providers the results they need. Regional Family Medicine is also contributing diagnosis, medications, procedures, vitals, demographics and immunizations of their patients to the HIE for their referral partners to access.

Not all technology improves patient care, that’s why SHARE focuses on providing only the data Regional Family Medicine clinics need and the right tools to integrate with their workflow and systems, meaning they save time and can focus on what matters most…the patient!

About Regional Family Medicine

There's No Place Like Home…  At Regional Family Medicine (formerly Kerr Medical Clinic), they have recognized and practiced that principle since the 1960s. That's why they have always strived to be the home for health care for patients – the first-place patients go for medical attention. As health care evolves and they adapt to the change, they never lose sight of the fact that taking care of the whole patient is their most important goal. The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is the latest innovation in health care delivery, designed to make primary health care what it is supposed to be: the health care home that all patients need.

Located in Mountain Home Arkansas, their comprehensive medical clinic serves the health care & preventive needs of patients of all ages, from obstetrics and delivery through adult and geriatric care. As a family care practice, their medical staff has experience and training in many health care specialties.

They provide an in-house lab for blood work, X-rays, ultrasounds and allergy testing, as well as extensive services for women's health, including obstetrics, mammography, hormone replacement therapy, and bone density testing. New patients of all ages are always welcome.

They are currently in the comprehensive primary care plus (CPC+) program and designated as PCMH clinic.

Learn more about Regional Family Medicine and their services here: https://www.rfmmh.com/

September 2019 –Little Rock, Arkansas The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) announce that Compassion Women’s Clinic that is part of Healthy Connections Community Health Network is now using SHARE, one of the country’s largest and most robust health information exchanges (HIE). Healthy Connections care teams are now accessing clinical information across participating entities for patients who have authorized sharing their medical information. This allows them to have accurate and recent results for their patients that range from children to adults.

Healthy Connections Community Health Network is comprised of eleven clinics that span from De Queen, Mena, Mount Ida, Hot Springs, Arkadelphia, Malvern and Little Rock. They provide primary care, OBGYN Care, dental care, behavioral health care and outreach to more than fifteen counties from Polk to Pulaski counties.

In Arkansas, where many large and small health systems use different electronic health record (EHR) systems, this is a particularly important milestone because the single interface to SHARE will allow Healthy Connections providers to access laboratory results, radiology reports, progress notes, discharge summaries from outside hospitals and specialty clinics in their eMDs EMR system. Healthy Connections care teams across seven counties can now view the following patient data through SHARE’s Virtual Health Record until the interface is LIVE:

• Admission, Discharge and Transfer Data
• Allergies, Problems, Medications
• Demographic and Insurance Information
• Laboratory Results, Radiology Reports
• Discharge Summaries, Continuity of Care Documents and Progress Notes

Accessing patient information through this secure exchange allows Healthy Connections significant access to better coordination with hospitals, specialist and referral partners outside their network across the state to see a more robust picture of their patients’ medical histories, engendering efficient and safe continuity of care.  By accessing the Virtual Health Record (VHR), it displays information as a traditional clinical chart, with tabs to separate patient information into groups for easy chart review. The VHR retrieves and shows all available data for a selected patient gathered from all participants within SHARE to enable a single, consolidated view of a patient’s health history.

In Arkansas, where many large and small health systems use different EHR systems, this is a particularly important milestone because the single interface to SHARE enables Healthy Connections to access the exchange to better coordinate with providers and patients in Arkansas.  SHARE’s continued mission is to provide better information to support high quality patient care for the State of Arkansas health care community. This is being accomplished by increasing patient results data in the HIE that is provided in real-time when doctors, providers and care teams need it.

 About Healthy Connections Community Health Network

Gaps in health care are described as disparities in access to medical services when comparing different populations that fall along racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines. The mission of Healthy Connections, Inc., is to fill those gaps with high-quality health care.

Healthy Connections is a Mena-based nonprofit organization serving the needs of children and adults throughout West-Central Arkansas. Since its founding in 1998 as a home visiting program, Healthy Connections has been able to provide much needed health, dental and social services to families. “We’re driven from the mission that we can provide quality health care to the population in the areas we serve. That is a population that has been neglected in the past. This population is considered underserved for a lot of services – medical, dental and behavioral health. We allow them to have easy access, affordable access, to quality health care,” said CEO Tony Calandro.

Healthy Connections providers treat thousands of patients each year who either have no insurance or not enough insurance to cover essential health and dental services. Healthy Connections currently serves as a primary care provider, dentist, pediatrician, behavioral health therapist, cardiologist, podiatrist and physical therapist. But mostly it is a place people can go to receive quality care regardless of their ability to pay. Healthy Connections has eleven medical clinics, including two school-based clinics, where physicians and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses provide primary and preventive medical services. There are three dental clinics, providing a full range of services including preventing, evaluating, diagnosing and treating diseases of the oral cavity while maintaining the function and appearance of the teeth. Two pediatric clinics providing care to the children of Arkansas, including a bilingual physician in Hot Springs. This ensures Healthy Connections can provide a high level of service to their patients and families, regardless of any potential communication roadblocks. Healthy Connections provides behavioral health services to four communities through licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors, and a psychiatric nurse practitioner. This has become a great need for many of the communities served by Healthy Connections.

Outreach services are also provided through Healthy Families Arkansas Polk and Garland Counties. Through regular home visits and monthly group meetings, the Healthy Connections staff strives to empower families to provide a healthy, nurturing environment for their children.  Learn more at: https://healthy-connections.org

 

About Compassion Women’s Clinic

Mission: To provide the best, most advanced women's healthcare possible in an environment that is uplifting, welcoming, and compassionate.

Vision: To continually advance the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the women in the Arkadelphia area in a manner consistent with standards in Obstetrics and Gynecology while also adhering to a Christian worldview, with emphasis on respect and dignity toward all.

Michael Carozza, MD, FACOG: Ob-Gyn Physician: Dr. Michael Carozza was raised in both Nashville and Texarkana, AR, graduating from Arkansas High School in Texarkana in 1994.  He attended Ouachita Baptist University graduating in 1998 with degrees in Chemistry and Biology and then pursued a medical degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, receiving his M.D. in 2002.  It was in medical school that Dr. Carozza became aware of his calling to serve as an Obstetrician/Gynecologist: “I remember seeing my first delivery and was mesmerized by the emotional impact of that miracle, and I realized that this was why I was on this earth.”  He fulfilled a lifelong dream of service in the US Air Force after his residency program in OB/GYN at UAMS, where he and his family were stationed at Langley AFB, VA for four wonderful years of Air Force service as a physician.  In 2009, he moved to Arkadelphia, AR, his college town, to begin a new OB/GYN practice, naming the clinic Compassion Women’s Clinic and modeling his practice on the message of Colossians 3:12. For more information visit: http://compassionob.com.

Little Rock, Arkansas   September 2019      The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) announce that Howard Memorial Hospital Medical Clinics is now using SHARE, one of the country’s largest and most robust health information exchanges (HIE). Their care teams now have access to clinical information across participating entities for patients who have authorized sharing their medical information. This allows them to have the most accurate laboratory results, discharge summaries, progress notes, demographics and vitals for their patients that range from children to adults.

In Arkansas, where many large and small health systems use different electronic health record (EHR) systems, this is a particularly important milestone because the single interface to SHARE enables Howard Memorial Hospital Medical Clinics to access the exchange to better coordinate with providers and patients throughout southwest Arkansas.

Accessing patient information through this secure exchange allows Howard Memorial Hospital Medical Clinics significant access to better coordination with hospitals, specialist and behavioral health providers across the state to see a more robust picture of their patient’s medical histories, engendering efficient and safe continuity of care.  By accessing the Virtual Health Record (VHR), it displays information as a traditional clinical chart, with tabs to separate patient information into groups for easy chart review. The VHR retrieves and shows all available data for a selected patient gathered from all participants within SHARE to enable a single, consolidated view of a patient’s health history.

Howard Memorial Hospital Medical Clinics can now view the following patient data through SHARE’s VHR:

• Admission, Discharge and Transfer Reports
• Allergies, Problems, Medications
• Demographic and Insurance information
• Laboratory results and Vitals
• Radiology reports, image links
• Discharge Summaries
• Continuity of Care Documents and Progress Notes

Using SHARE VHR and Secure Messaging (SM), Howard Memorial Hospital Medical Clinics has an up-to-the-minute view of a patient’s health history at the point of care. This puts the power of information and collaboration in the hands of the health care team—enabling more accurate, faster and more effective treatment, and better outcomes for the patient.

About Howard Memorial Hospital

Howard Memorial Hospital (HMH) is a critical access hospital located in Nashville, Arkansas. It provides comprehensive patient-focused care in a variety of settings— emergency, surgical, inpatient and outpatient—delivered by skilled medical professionals. Their not-for-profit status ensures that all financial resources remaining after expenses are re-invested in the hospital to improve technology, the facility and patient services.  HMH is committed to bringing friendly service, quality care and state-of-the-art technology to the Nashville and surrounding communities, so our friends, families and neighbors can always have access to close-to-home care. The hospital is governed by an eight-member, volunteer board of directors, comprising a broad spectrum of professional, business and community leaders. The board is responsible for hospital compliance with legal requirements, maintenance of professional and ethical standards of health care and financial and operational management.

About their Primary Care Providers

Dr. Ngozi Wilkins

Dr. Wilkins is passionate about primary care, with a special interest in women’s care. Make an appointment with her to:

• Learn wellness tips for long-term health
• Diagnose and treat women's conditions
• Find one doctor for the whole family

Call for an appointment: 870-845-8010

Dr. Brian Caldwell

There’s never a dull moment in family practice, which is what Dr. Caldwell loves about it. Make an appointment with Dr. Caldwell for:

• Tips on staying healthy whatever your age or stage in life
• Management of chronic diseases
• Athletic health and training advice 

Call for an appointment: 870-845-6060

Alana Kaye Day, APRN, FNP-C

Alana is the newest member of the primary care team. With experience in everything from women’s health to pediatrics, Alana’s family practice interests include:

• Children’s health and wellness
• Respiratory care
• Geriatric care

Learn more about Howard Memorial Hospital: https://www.howardmemorial.com/

 

 

Little Rock, Arkansas –September 2019 The State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE), the state’s only statewide health information exchange (HIE), recently connected to Lakeside Family Medicine that is part of a large medical group, HealthStar Physicians of Hot Springs.

SHARE aggregates health data from many major health systems across the state of Arkansas. The HIE is designed to reduce instances of redundant care by ensuring providers have a complete, holistic view of patient care when making clinical decisions.

Lakeside Family Medicine physicians and their professional staff are board certified and dedicated to bringing the best of primary care, pediatrics, geriatrics, women’s health and psychological counseling services. Lakeside Family Medicine providers understands the importance of good health and focuses on preventive health as well as managing chronic illnesses. The data exchange service with SHARE will give Lakeside Family Medicine, secure access to important information such as lab results, updated patient records and demographic information. This ensures every care provider in a patient’s chain of care has consistent and current information, and that their records are more secure and accessible than with paper files.

Being a primary care physician means knowing the most current information regarding your patients. SHARE Daily Reports will help Lakeside Family Medicine do that. The Daily Reports make available to their health care team the most recent critical events of their patients within the last 24 hours regardless of their insurance payers.

The SHARE Daily Reports are a data service that make updates available to Lakeside Family Medicine’s care team when a patient is:

• Admitted to an emergency department
• Discharged from an emergency department
• Transferred from outpatient to inpatient
• Discharged from an inpatient encounter

SHARE empowers providers and communities by providing the information they need to improve health. Our advanced HIE technology, data tools and expert workflow analysis help health care providers access information that save lives, streamlines care coordination, reduces costs and improves clinical outcomes. As more and more electronic medical record (EMR) or electronic health record (EHR) systems are connected to an HIE, there is more opportunity to analyze health trends, and stop outbreaks before they begin. This helps create healthier communities. Patients can feel safe knowing that their information is secure and protected, and that they can get the life-saving treatment they need in any situation, provided they receive care from a facility that is connected to an HIE.

About HealthStar Physicians of Hot Springs- Lakeside Family Medicine

 Whether you are a patient looking for quality health care or a physician looking for exceptional practice management and medical billing, turn to HealthStar. HealthStar Physicians of Hot Springs was founded in 2000 and is an expanding outpatient health care system of experienced primary care and pediatric physicians organized for the sole purpose of delivering high quality clinical and social health care services.

Their team of family physicians is focused on treating the whole person. They are dedicated to an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. Services Include: Primary Care, Pediatric Care, Women’s Health, House Calls and Behavioral Health.

 

For more information visit: https://www.healthstarphysicians.com/contact/lakeside/

Lakeside Physicians

 

Little Rock, Arkansas – September 2019 Harmony Park Family Medicine in Hot Springs, Arkansas has joined SHARE, the only statewide health information exchange (HIE). Harmony Park Family Medicine is part of the continued connection of independent family medicine practices to join the SHARE network!

Harmony Park Family Medicine is providing high quality, patient-centered care to include: adolescent and adults care, prenatal care, children, same day visits, after hours’ care and non-emergent questions.

Access to SHARE will give the Harmony Park care team secure access to important health information such as; continuity of care documents (CCDs), laboratory results, updated patient records, discharge summaries, medication histories and demographic information of their patient’s. This ensures every care provider in the patient’s chain of care has consistent and current information, and that their health records are more secure and accessible.

The Harmony Park Clinic will be sharing data through an interface with NexGen electronic medical record (EMR) which features a robust patient query and response function that will allow providers to quickly access patient health data from hospitals, physician practices, state health systems and more.

The Harmony Park care team will be sharing patient information like; medical history, previous diagnoses, lab tests, medications, continuity of care documents (CCDs), immunizations, vitals and allergies.  The clinics will also send their immunizations through SHARE to the Arkansas Department of Health, immunization registry (WEBIZ). This will improve their workflow and give them access to a bi-directional immunization interface.

SHARE will provide Harmony Park with access to 24-hour daily reports notifying their providers and care team when their patients are admitted and discharged from the emergency department and inpatient discharges.

As the health care landscape continues to transform, HIEs continue to play a key role in providing data that fuels innovation. SHARE and Harmony Park are working together to contribute to these innovation efforts such as population health initiatives, assisting with high-risk patients and identifying potential social determinants of health.

About Harmony Park Family Medicine

The new, state-of-the-art Harmony Park Family Medicine clinic is now open at Harmony Park, Suite 100, in Hot Springs. Drs. Scott Anderson, James Humphreys, and Robert Parrott have teamed up to offer a clinic where every patient will undergo a professional clinical assessment and are presented a coordinated plan created for their individual needs.

Harmony Park Family Medicine Physicians

Dr. Robert Parrott, a Texas native, is a graduate of North Texas Health Science Center with a Doctor of Osteopathy degree. He completed his residency in Fort Worth, TX where he was named resident of the year. Parrott has been in practice for over 15 years in Hot Springs. He is Board Certified ACOFP/AOA and has been named Physician of the Year in The Sentinel-Record's Readers’ Choice Awards and in the AY Magazine's Best Doctors Issue. He and his wife Kelly, have five sons, Stephen, Kevin, John Michael, Christopher and Luke.

Dr. James Humphreys is a Dumas native and a Magnum Cum Laude graduate of The University of Arkansas-Monticello and UAMS Medical School. He served his residency at the University of Arkansas, ABEM, in Fort Smith, AR. He is AAFP/ABFM board certified. He was the owner of Hollywood Avenue Family Medicine from 1991 to 2011 and has been affiliated with Spark Hospital, St. Edward's Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital and National Park Medical Center (NPMC) in Hot Springs. Humphreys has been honored as The Sentinel-Record's Physician of the Year. He and his wife, Cindy, are the parents of Brandon, Regina, Alex and Drew.

Dr. Scott Anderson, a Chicago native, received his medical degree from Midwestern University and served his three-year residency in Family Medicine through Forest Park Hospital-St. Louis University. He started his practice 16 years ago in Hot Springs, AR. He is AAFP/ABFM board certified. Some of his awards and achievements over the last few years include Patients Choice Award, 2012; AY's Best Family Physician, 2014; Patients Choice Award, 2017, 2018; Compassionate Doctor Award, 2017, 2018; On-Time Physician Award, 2017, 2018; and America's Most Honored Professionals — Top 1 percent, 2018. Anderson and his wife, Suzanne, are active in the community and attend Lake Valley Community Church. They have two children, Katlyn and Nicholas, who have both graduated from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.

Harmony Park Family Medicine Clinic is located at 128 Harmony Park, Suite 100, off Section Line Road.

Call 501. 881.4988 to make an appointment or visit http://www.harmonyparkfamilymedicine.com  for more information.