Healthcare in Nevada: Prognosis Encouraging

Nevada’s 2013 healthcare checkup reveals an industry under an unprecedented combination of pressures – little surprise there – but also one that is holding its own, moving quickly to adapt, gearing up to provide the best patient care possible, and looking confidently to the future. “Nevada’s healthcare industry is in a state of flux as a result of the changes occurring on a national level,” says Dr. Sherif Abdou, president and CEO of HealthCare Partners Nevada, a network of 245 physicians. Read more…

How Will the Health Information Exchange Benefit Your Patients?

Faster, More Accurate Care

You may know the benefits of a Health Information Exchange (HIE), but do your patients know? As a key component for a successful HIE, we need patient involvement. Education is the key, and we need your help to get the word out.

Why do your patients need the HIE?

Your patient’s medical care team needs health information to correctly diagnose and treat them. Each member of the team may have a piece of the patient’s medical history. If the entire team can see the complete medical history, patients receive better care.

What are the key benefits for my patients?

• HealtHIE Nevada gives you a quick and easy way to see your patient’s health information. Health information can be lab, x-ray, and other test results that make up a medical history.

• As the information becomes available, the HIE will quickly send the data to you. A complete medical history lets you make faster and more correct choices when caring for your patients.

• When you share your patient’s medical history, you can manage their care better. Specialists will have the information they need faster. The emergency room staff can care for your patients even if they cannot answer questions.

• The HIE is safe and secure and can only be seen by the people who are caring for your patients.

• Patients will repeat the same tests less often.

• Patient records will still be safe and available if there is an emergency or natural disaster.

Who can see your patients’ health information?

Only doctors, hospitals, laboratories, radiologists, and pharmacies that are members of the HIE can see your personal information. The medical team can use your information only to diagnose and treat your medical problems.

HealtHIE Nevada Provides eHGT’s eHealth Image Exchange Capability to Community-Based Health Information Exchange Users

Steinberg Diagnostic leads, reducing costly duplicate exams and unnecessary radiation exposure for patients

Rochester, NY August 28, 2012 – HealthInsight, Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Centers, and eHealth Global Technologies (eHGT) announce the successful go-live for HealtHIE Nevada of eHealth Image Exchange™, a service that enables authorized health information exchange (HIE) participants to seamlessly share diagnostic quality images.

Physicians, with a single click on a patients’ report, can view associated X-rays, MRI’s, CT-scans, PET scans and ultrasounds images instantly, from the context of the patient’s full medical history. Participating HIE providers can access current and past diagnostic imaging exams to assist them in providing more effective diagnosis, care planning and delivery of healthcare services, taking advantage of a variety of tools within a state-of-the-art, zero-footprint viewing platform – eHealthViewer® ZF.

“We are excited to be the first imaging center in Nevada to provide this service and its benefits to our care community,” said Don Shackley, CIO, Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Center. “Patients no longer need to retrieve and transport X-ray films or images on CDs from location to location, as reports are always accessible via the HIE. Patient records are more complete, which reduces the need for costly duplicate exams and unnecessary radiation exposure for patients, while improving the efficiency of delivering patient treatment.”

“Having one of the largest providers of images in the state of Nevada take the lead on this initiative is a testament to the value eHealth Image Exchange provides,” said HealthInsight Executive Director, Deborah Huber. “Ordering physicians can access reports and images immediately as they are available so that patients get more timely care with reduced risk due to incomplete medical records.”

“When a patient presents, physicians need a variety of medical information quickly and easily to provide accurate, timely care,” said Gary Larson, COO and General Manager, Health Information Exchange Services for eHealth Global Technologies. “Diagnostic quality images are an essential element of the patient record and we are thrilled to provide this service to patients across Nevada – improving their care process and reducing the spiraling cost of care.”

HealtHIE Nevada is powered by Optum Health Information Exchange. Optum’s partner, eHealth Global Technologies provides eHealth Image Exchange via the Optum Image Gateway.

About eHealth Global Technologies

eHealth Global Technologies (eHGT) is a leading referral management and diagnostic image exchange service provider, serving over half of the nation’s top 100 hospitals and leading health information exchanges (HIEs), including 13 of the top 17 hospitals selected to the prominent Honor Roll of the Best Hospitals from the 2011-2012 U.S. News & World Report. The company’s services include the eHealth Referral Management Solution™ and the eHealth Image Exchange™. These solutions utilize innovative health information technology to access medical records, pathology slides and diagnostic images in any format, and then securely deliver them to providers and clinicians in a digital format to improve continuity of care. Visit www.eHGT.com

About HealtHIE Nevada

HealtHIE Nevada is a private, Nevada non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to connecting the Nevada healthcare community by managing real time, secure, and accurate exchange of clinical information to improve the quality and continuum of healthcare for the patient.

Management of HealtHIE Nevada and its services are performed by HealthInsight, a recognized leader in quality improvement; transparency and public reporting; health information technology programs; health-care system delivery and payment reform efforts; and human factors science research and application. HealthInsight has offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

About Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Centers

Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging developed out of Dr. Leon Steinberg’s radiology practice which has served physicians, hospitals and residents of Las Vegas for the past 30 years. As a pioneering radiologist, Dr. Steinberg dreamed of a complete state-of-the-art outpatient imaging center in Las Vegas. The center would be equipped with the most advanced diagnostic tools, all conveniently located under one roof. Imaging studies that traditionally were only found in hospitals and major medical centers would be available here. Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Centers were built with these goals in mind. Our primary facility at 2950 South Maryland Parkway was opened on February 29, 1988. Since then, SDMI has kept pace with the area’s growth by opening additional facilities. Today, Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging is on the cutting edge of radiology, offering the most comprehensive diagnostic services available anywhere in the world. Our five convenient imaging centers are staffed by board certified radiologists that are friendly and sympathetic of patient concerns. Our team of technologists and support staff provide the highest level of service, insuring that patients receive the courtesy and care they deserve.

HealthInsight Announces Launch of Community-based Health Information Exchange

The Health Information Exchange will provide instant access and secure exchange of health information to improve timeliness, quality, and coordination of Nevadan’s health care

Las Vegas, NV – HealthInsight, in partnership with the Nevada healthcare community and its stakeholders, announced today the launch of a Health Information Exchange (HIE) to improve the timeliness, quality, and coordination of care for Nevadans.

HealthInsight HIE, a community-based exchange, will enable providers to instantly, automatically, and securely receive and share real-time patient information at the point of care. The data will come directly from their electronic health records system (EHRs) and will include patient referrals, laboratory results, radiology reports, submitting prescriptions to pharmacies, and hospital discharge summaries. Patients will be required to authorize the transfer of their data before it is exchanged between their healthcare providers.

“HealthInsight’s mission is to improve the quality, safety, and delivery of healthcare in Nevada.

The launch of the HealthInsight HIE will dramatically further our mission,” said Deborah Huber, Executive Director, HealthInsight Nevada. “We are thrilled with the community support for this important and necessary initiative. We are coordinating with the State, the Broadband Initiatives and other programs that use health information technology to improve health care in Nevada, Together, our collaborations will provide a great value to Nevadans.”

A significant contribution from Southwest Medical Associates, Inc. partially funds the HIE’s launch and initial operations. Additional support was provided by founding members of the HealthInsight HIE: Renown Health, Reno; Catholic Healthcare West, Southern and Northern NV; the Hospital Corporation of America, the Valley Health System, Nevada Orthopedic and Spine Center, University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, and Healthcare Partners, Las Vegas, Nevada.

HealthInsight has contracted with Axolotl to establish the technical infrastructure and provide the ongoing support and operations of the HIE. Axolotl has demonstrated experience connecting providers who use a variety of electronic health record systems, including large and small hospitals, primary care practices, specialty groups, public health entities, labs, and radiology centers. Axolotl operates the statewide HIEs in Utah, Idaho, Nebraska, and Maryland, and regional HIEs in the tri-state Cincinnati area, Grand Junction, CO, Santa Cruz, CA, Rochester, Buffalo, Queens, Bronx, and Syracuse, NY, South Bend and Bloomington, IN, and Lansing, MI.

Early participants in the HealthInsight HIE, who will begin sharing patient information in September 2011, include primary care and specialty physician groups and hospitals in Northern and Southern Nevada. Plans include expanding the HIE to additional stakeholders across the state of Nevada.

HealthInsight is a private, non-profit, community based organization dedicated to improving health and health care. HealthInsight is an NRHI regional health improvement collaborative; an AHRQ-designated Chartered Value Exchange (CVE); an RWJ Foundation AF4Q community; a Medicare QIO, a state EQRO; a Regional Extension Center (REC) for Health Information Technology; an ONC Beacon Community; and a community health information exchange (HIE) organization.

HealthInsight is a recognized leader in quality improvement; transparency and public reporting; health information technology programs; healthcare system delivery and payment reform efforts; and human factors science research and application. HealthInsight has offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Las Vegas, NV, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit our website at www.HealthInsight.org.