Two Largest Health Systems in Kansas Exchange Vital Clinical Information through Kansas Health Information Network
<0> Dodge Communications for ICAJeff Nessler, 770-576-2573 </0>
(KHIN) and , a leading provider of interoperability technology that enables care management and health information exchange (HIE),announced today that two KHIN early adopter sites in Wichita, Kansas, Via Christi Health Systems and HCA Wesley, transferred clinical data into the KHIN Production Environment during the week of August 3 – August 10, 2012. This successful exchange ensures that vital clinical information on shared patients was exchanged between the two largest health systems in Kansas and other KHIN participants
During the weeks prior to clinical data exchange, the two sites completed user acceptance testing with KHIN, verifying that its patient data was coming into the KHIN production environment correctly. To facilitate this exchange, KHIN upgraded its version of the ICA to include functionality to meet the Kansas-specific global opt-out policies and procedures. Implementation of the new versions of CareAlign and support interoperability across all certified EHR vendors while accommodating individual patient privacy preferences. Access to and sharing of this patient data will improve patient safety and patient health outcomes for Kansans.
KHIN is a statewide health information exchange (HIE) initiative that includes both densely populated urban as well as rural areas in Kansas. The CareAlign platform serves all of Kansas including 130 hospitals and more than 4,500 physicians. KHIN is a provider-led and provider-governed health information exchange. Founding members include the , , and the . KHIN covers approximately 83,000 square miles including frontier, rural and urban medical trading areas, making this effort one of the largest in the U.S.
The next milestone will allow hospitals, providers and patients involved in the (LACIE), a sister HIE located in Missouri but stretching into Northwest Kansas, to begin to operationalize HIE-to-HIE clinical information exchange, tying all HIE participants throughout the state together for the first time.
“Our first connection with LACIE will be a HISP (Health Information Service Provider) to HISP connection,” said Laura McCrary, Executive Director of KHIN. “This will allow KHIN DIRECT users to share health information point to point with LACIE DIRECT users. We will then begin working on a peer-to-peer connection with LACIE to facilitate access to patient data across our exchange platforms.”
Dr. McCrary also noted that the addition of and HCA Wesley as active participants in the exchange is the result of year-long preparation by all involved, as well as the whole-hearted support of the state of Kansas for the development of an HIE that will improve care and increase patient safety. Dr. McCrary concluded her comments by pointing out that ICA’s interoperability technology will have community-wide benefit by improving care transitions and care coordination across disparate healthcare providers throughout Kansas.
KHIN’s mission is to improve health care quality, coordination and efficiency through the exchange of health information at the point of care utilizing a secure electronic network provided by a collaboration of health care organizations. KHIN is a provider led 501(c)3. It draws users from a broad geographical area and aligns with state data sources to support cost effective delivery of services. It supports and integrates with community and medical trading area efforts to drive care coordination and workflow changes creating a climate to encourage innovation. Its goals are to ensure providers, patients and communities have long-term access to cost effective, sustainable health information exchange aligned with costs distributed across a broad user base. It also encourages and removes barriers so communities and regions can focus on quality improvement, patient centered medical home and entrepreneurial strategies that effect local health outcomes.
ICA was established to take innovative technology developed by to the broader healthcare market, and now delivers a comprehensive health information exchange (HIE) and care management solution to hospitals, IDNs, communities and states. This patient-centered modular approach offers immediate value and return-on-investment through the delivery of clinical information to the point-of-care improving quality while reducing costs. The CareAlign® solution suite, or volume set, includes CareAlign, CareExchange, CareConnect, CareCollaborate, CareMeasure and CareManage. Each volume provides the technology necessary to progressively exchange clinical information, increase care collaboration and manage healthcare risk across the continuum of care with the goal of improving patient outcomes while reducing costs. Visit , follow us on , , , and