Ahima Today October 5, 2011

implementation methodologies, confirming technical feasibility, validating usability, and integrating the HIE and clinical provider process workflows.

The evaluation of the demonstration returned positive responses from the 1,000 clinical users of the exchange network. Provider respondents reported that unnecessary diagnostic tests were avoided, time was saved, and patient safety was enhanced.

The feedback was incorporated into a rede-
signed portal and system supported by a part-
nership of “best of breed.”
The original 2011 demonstration participants
included 50 percent of all hospital, emergency
department, and hospital-based ambulatory
visits in Maine. The health information ex-
change is anticipated to grow by 12 additional
healthcare organizations in 2011.

Thirty-one of Maine’s 39 hospitals are now under contract with HealthInfoNet. The goal is to have all Maine hospitals connected to the statewide HIE by 2014 and 80 percent of all physician practices connected by 2015.

Presently, HealthInfoNet serves more than 2,000 clinical providers and maintains over 980,000 unique health records in its central repository.

HealthInfoNet views itself as a voluntary initiative; providers and healthcare consumers volunteer to participate in the HIE. Because of the focus on trust, participation is not mandated, the concern being that mandating participation in the health information exchange would have a negative effect on open and active participation.

After careful evaluation by a diverse group of patients, providers, payers, businesses, and government stakeholders across Maine, the health information exchange chose an opt-out consent policy. It was determined that an opt-out consent policy would be the most effective, valuable, and viable consent option.

A unique aspect of HealthInfoNet’s opt-out model is the fact that once the patient elects to opt out of the health information exchange, his or her health information is deleted, not hidden. Information is still sent to the health information exchange, where it is screened for public health reporting; however, the HIE’s rules engine identifies and destroy the health information of individual’s that have opted out.

Patients can easily request to opt out of the HIE online, via a telephone call, or by mail. Since going live in 2008, only 1 percent of the

approximately 980,000 individuals in the HealthInfoNet database have chosen to opt out.

Protecting Patient Privacy

The HIE uses a virtual private network not connected to the Internet and protected by a dedicated firewall. Data are encrypted at all times in motion and at rest. Administrative data are stored separately from clinical data. The HIE has recently begun providing patients with audits of all individuals who have accessed their health records.

The future sustainability model for HealthInfoNet depends on developing and promoting value-added, revenue-generating services built on data analytic tools that will be designed to serve and support new healthcare delivery models and risk-sharing initiatives.

Culver shared a story that clearly demonstrates the value of the health information exchange. He received a phone call from a physician who was coming off an overnight shift in a virtual ICU. The physician wanted Culver to know that the previous night he had found a piece of information in the HealthInfoNet’s database that was not available anywhere else.

Having access to that information saved his patient’s life. n

Why change?

…because Amphion transcription
outsourcing will reduce your costs
enough to hire up to five new nurses
or a physician or two. Or perhaps
acquire that life saving medical
technology that never fits into
your budget.

We will free up cash, improve your turnaround time and increase the quality of your reporting.

How do we do it? By utilizing the most sophisticated speech recognition technology, which dramatically increases the productivity of our staff.

Amphion is 100% US based employees and was voted the #1 place to work for medical transcriptionists by AHDI. We take care of the people, who take care of your medical reports.