The Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) passed another milestone this week with its Quality Health First Program now enrolling more than 1,500 physicians in over 50 communities throughout Indiana. The HIE--developed to improve screenings rates and to support the management of medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and breast cancer--now reaches nearly 1 million patients.
Patients needing these and other interventions are flagged in the reports to their primary-care physicians, which helps them make better healthcare decisions possible before, during and after patient visits. Participation in the HIE--a non-profit corporation formed in 2004 by the Regenstrief Institute--is open to all primary-care practices in Indiana, regardless of their size or number of physicians, and is not restrictive to practices not using EHRs.
IHIE said its reports are based on more than 3 billion pieces of clinical information--along with claims information--to provide the most recent and relevant information. The program permits physicians to review and verify the data, and to reconcile missing or inaccurate data.
"The reports we receive help us to find patients who are not getting regular care for either routine services or chronic disease management," said Louis Winternheimer, MD, medical director of the Raphael Health Center in Indianapolis. "As a result, we mail reminders or make phone contact with the patients based on the reports."
For care provided in 2009, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Indiana awarded bonus payments totaling $3.4 million to participating primary-care physicians in Indiana based on improvements in overall patient health. Those bonus payments from Anthem for care delivered by participating physicians in 2010 is expected to exceed that amount this year.
For more information:
- view the IHIE announcement
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