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The Arkansas Attorney General’s office has become aware of increased phishing attempts targeting health care professionals. OHIT reminds its users that we do not send unsolicited emails requesting your login or personal information. If you receive a suspicious email that appears to be from SHARE or OHIT please notify your facility’s privacy or security staff.

Arkansas Renal Group, P.A. and SHARE partner to improve provider communication

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