New York, NY, June 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthix, the nation’s largest public health information exchange (HIE), has connected its public HIE system to private HIEs operated by Northwell Health and the Mount Sinai Health System. All three HIEs are built on InterSystems HealthShare®, a robust information exchange platform that enables the organizations to exchange richer and more comprehensive patient data.
Typically, clinicians are limited to seeing their own health system’s data, even though patients may be treated outside the health system. As a result, there may be gaps in a patient’s electronic health record (EHR). With the tight integration of three HIEs spanning public and private systems, clinicians have a more complete and trustworthy data set for more informed decision-making.
With the integration, clinical data generated by Northwell and Mount Sinai is available in real time to every other organization in the Healthix network, and vice versa, without needing to build multiple interfaces. Previously, the data that was exchanged was limited primarily to encounter data and lab results. Now, the data includes allergies, documents, immunizations, and other data in a bidirectional exchange of information. And, more types of facilities are participating, including home health, and inpatient and outpatient settings.
Healthix brings together data from healthcare organizations throughout greater New York City and Long Island, to create composite profiles of more than 16 million patients. Healthix data contributors include hospitals, health insurance plans, physician practices, behavioral health facilities, long-term care facilities, Medicaid health homes, New York City correctional facilities, independent labs and radiology centers, independent pharmacies, community-based care organizations, as well as data available from other qualified entities, or local hubs for electronic health information, in the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY).
Data from two of the largest health systems in New York will now greatly expand patient information available to care providers and payers, taking them a significant step forward along the path to true interoperability and connected healthcare. With New York State’s support and guidance, qualified entities (QEs) such as Healthix have been tasked with expanding the number and type of data elements available to support Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) programs. They are charged with fundamentally restructuring the healthcare delivery system by reinvesting in the Medicaid program, with the primary goal of reducing avoidable hospital use by 25 percent over five years—and other value-based care programs.
“The robust set of clinical data generated by Northwell Health and the Mount Sinai Health System, available in real time, to participants in the Healthix network and across the SHIN-NY, will soon expand to include the complete Common Clinical Data Set promoted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC),” said Tom Check, President and CEO of Healthix.
“Connecting our information systems with others was challenging with traditional interfaces, and ongoing maintenance was expensive; we had more than 40 interfaces to manage,” said Dr. Vish Anantraman, Chief Information Architect, in Northwell Health’s Information Technology group. “Now with just one interface, we can easily send all the data from our systems to Healthix and the SHIN-NY, it is less expensive to operate, and we have richer clinical data for care coordination.”
“In just a couple months, we are already seeing a deep integration, and the efficiency of providers has increased dramatically,” said Donny Patel, Director of Interoperability and IT at the Mount Sinai Health System. “Not just providers, but also health plans will be using the HealthShare platform. One of our insurance partners is looking at it from a care management perspective.”
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 22 hospitals and over 550 outpatient facilities. We care for more than two million people annually in the metro New York area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 62,000 employees – 15,000+ nurses and about 3,900 physicians, including more than 2,800 members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and the School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. And we offer health insurance through CareConnect. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is in the “Honor Roll” of best hospitals in America, ranked No. 15 nationally in the 2016-2017 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. The Mount Sinai Hospital is also ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 hospitals in Geriatrics, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Ear, Nose & Throat, and is in the top 50 in four other specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 10 nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report in "Best Children's Hospitals." For more information, visit mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About Healthix
Healthix is the largest public health information exchange (HIE) in the nation, serving the most comprehensive range of organizations in New York from the largest hospital systems to the smallest community health centers and physician practices. As a key partner in the Statewide Health Information Network for NY (SHIN-NY), we connect hundreds of organizations, with nearly 1,500 facilities across New York City and Long Island. We deliver actionable patient data, in real time, at the point of care. By using Healthix, clinicians and care coordinators from different organizations can easily and securely collaborate on patient care. Visit www.healthix.org
About InterSystems
InterSystems is the engine behind the world’s most important applications. In healthcare, finance, government, and other sectors where lives and livelihoods are at stake, InterSystems is the power behind what mattersTM. Founded in 1978, InterSystems is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), with offices worldwide, and its software products are used daily by millions of people in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.InterSystems.com
InterSystems Media Contact:
Brittany Boyer
InkHouse
PRishc@inkhouse.com1-781-966-4178
Healthix Media Contact:
Vivienne DeStefano
Vice President, Corporate Communications
1-646-619-6531Vdestefano@healthix.org
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