Connections Fall 2014
Usage of HIE Booming!

 

In 2014, we've seen astounding growth in usage of the health
information exchange (HIE). In the first week of December, accesses to our clinical portal were already up 66% over all of 2013 and this past October was the highest month for usage ever! In October, 1,317 users logged in to the HIE a combined 22,725 times, that's a 74% increase over October of last year.

 

October showed all time highs in automated usage as well. 10,605 care notifications were sent to our users; 342,745 messages were delivered to ACOs to support care management; and 90,327 messages were sent to the Maine CDC in support of public health activities.

 

The upward trend is continuing as we near the end of 2014, and demand for training is skyrocketing. Sharon Bearor, RN, our Clinical Coordinator has presented at hospitals and practices across the State to help them integrate the HIE into their workflows and educate new users. Everywhere she goes, she finds enthusiasm and excitement for our services. Thank you to our clients for making 2014 the best year yet. Here's to further increases for 2015!


 

More HIE Clients Sign On to Analytics Service, First Customer Sees Value

Predictive analytics is nothing new. Both healthcare providers and payers have used predictive models based on claims data for many years. But predictive analytics based on real-time, standardized clinical data from a statewide HIE is something very new.

 

HealthInfoNet introduced a reporting and analytics service in the first half of 2014 and has already signed up a number of its current HIE participants, including two large hospitals, two smaller hospitals and the State's Pioneer ACO. A number of others are considering signing on to the new service in 2015. The service provides advanced analytic and predictive tools to study market share, clinical performance, population health, and patient risk, all in real-time. The service is offered in partnership with HBI Solutions of Palo Alto, CA.

 

St. Joseph Healthcare in Bangor was the first organization to use the service. Hear their users' opinions first hand.

Use of HealthInfoNet HIE Reporting and Analytics Tool at St. Joseph Healthcare
Can't access Youtube? Click here, to view on our website.

 

New HIE User Recognition Program 

 

Each month, starting this past October, HealthInfoNet will recognize one of its highest volume users, highlighting the ways in which they use the HIE to support improvements in patient care at their organization. Users are recognized in our email newsletter and on our website.

 

Our inaugural October 2014 User of the Month was Eileen Herring, RN, who works as an Orthopedic Navigator at St. Joseph Hospital. She works in the pre-admission testing office of the hospital's surgery department. Her primary role is gathering health histories and navigating patients through the pre-operative process. She uses the HealthInfoNet clinical portal to gather necessary records for patients scheduled for joint replacement surgery. Read more.

 

Our November 2014 User of the Month was Patricia Croteau,RN. Patricia works as a High Risk Care Coordinator for the Central Maine Healthcare ACO. She works within a multi-disciplinary team approach to manage care for high risk, complex patients. She works directly with patients cared for by primary care providers of Central Maine Medical Group, helping to facilitate their care process, guide them through treatment options and services, and provide education and general support. Patricia said, "HIN has been instrumental in my ability to obtain helpful, timely and accurate information about my patients." Read more.


 

Where's the Data on HIE - Our Reaction to the RAND Study

 

"Despite $600 Million From Stimulus, Jury Out On Health Information Exchanges" read a recent headline from Forbes. Not the kind of news a health information exchange organization like ours likes to see.

 

The headline refers to yet another HIE study, this one from the RAND Corporation and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study findings can be summarized as following: HIE use likely leads to reduced emergency room visits and related costs; the sustainability of HIE organizations is questionable; and, most notably, more research is necessary to understand how HIEs are used and their effect on patient care.

 

We agree. In order to quantify the value of HIEs and understand what will make them successful, we simply need more data. So if the government has spent $600 million on HIEs and, as the study authors report, there are over 100 HIE organizations across the country, why don't we have the data? Well we have some thoughts. Read more on our blog.

 

Blue Button, Mental Health, Analytics and More: Our Role in the SIM Grant


 

Maine was one of the lucky six states awarded a State Innovation Model (SIM) Testing Grant by the CMS Innovation Center. For more about the SIM, visit the State's website. HealthInfoNet is one of three partners in the grant program, working on four projects.

 

First, we continue to provide real time email notifications to MaineCare care managers when members they're tracking are admitted to a hospital emergency department. This process allows care managers to intervene earlier and help to automate their current manual process.

 

Second, we're building an analytics dashboard using HIE data and MaineCare claims data to identify high-cost, high-risk members and support population health programs such as Health Homes, Accountable Communities, and Community Care Teams.

 

Third, we're connecting 20 behavioral health organizations to the HIE, and expect the first organization to begin contributing data early next year. See "Getting Ready to Add Mental Health Data" below.

 

Lastly, we're almost ready to provide a pilot group of patients access to a care summary of the information contained in their HIE record. Patients of three EMHS (Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems) primary care practices will be able to download this summary using their EMHS patient portal this coming January. The project will use the Continuity of Care Document (CCD) standard. We'll seek feedback from this pilot group over a three-month period before deciding if and how to expand the project.


 

Getting Ready to Add Mental Health Data
 

Since the HIE went live, users have asked us when mental health information would be included in a patient's HealthInfoNet record. And now after years of working with the mental health community to change laws, create new policies, and streamline technology, we're ready! We expect the first behavioral health organization to be ready to send data to the HIE early in 2015.

 

HealthInfoNet is actively onboarding the 20 behavioral health organizations involved in the SIM grant. Data from these facilities will be included in our system, but shielded from HIE users unless the patient signs an opt-in form; they give an individual user permission to access the information to support a specific visit; or a user "breaks the glass" to access the information in response to an emergency.

 

So why did it take this long? Many behavioral health organizations are very new to electronic medical record keeping, with less technical and financial resources than their general medical counterparts. The EHR vendors serving the behavioral health community are fewer and less experienced with HIE. And, shaped by a history of discrimination and a legal framework that discourages data sharing, there remains much misunderstanding and apprehension about participation in an HIE. However, the community also sees tremendous opportunity for improving care coordination for their patients and clients. Congratulations to these 20 vanguard organizations for leading the way for their peers across Maine and the nation.


 

About HealthInfoNet

HealthInfoNet is an independent, nonprofit organization using information technology to improve patient care quality and safety. The organization manages Maine's statewide health information exchange and offers services to encourage health information technology adoption and support new and emerging models of care and care management. The organization maintains administrative offices in Portland, Maine.

207-541-9250 or 866-592-4352
Quick Links & Partners
HIE Access for VA Maine Starts in 2015


 

We are getting closer to
providing access to the HIE clinical portal at VA Maine care sites
across the State. Leadership at VA Maine will offer view-only access to users in the emergency department at Togus early this coming year and will rapidly expand to all sites and locations across the State later in 2015.
We expect to show VA Maine data in the clinical portal by 2016.


 

Seen our Website Redesign?

 

Earlier this fall, we launched a redesign of our website. 

 

The site is now mobile enabled making it easier to navigate and view on smartphones and tablets.  

 

Some features of note include:

 

Users Earn CEUs for HIN Training

silver-keyboard2.jpg
 

HealthInfoNet's Clinical Coordinator, Sharon Bearor, RN, is now accredited through the American Nurses Credentialing Center of the ANA. This means she can offer our users .1 CEU when they attend one of our clinical portal trainings. 


 

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