Healthcare Access San Antonio Partners With Holon Solutions and TORCH to Help Connect Healthcare Providers to Regional HIE
San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) February 10, 2014 -- Healthcare Access San Antonio (HASA), the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) and Holon Solutions have joined together to help make connecting to the region-wide health information exchange (HIE) affordable for rural health providers. The HIE initiative with TORCH and Holon Solutions will connect area hospitals, clinics, physician offices and other providers in the 22 counties in South Texas included in HASA’s service area.
HASA is the entity authorized by the State of Texas to develop the HIE for Bexar and 21 surrounding counties. It is one of 12 such exchanges in the State.
Low doctor-patient ratios and the historically high cost of HIE software have made it more difficult for rural health providers than their urban counterparts to share health information with other providers. And while the ultimate success of an HIE depends on making rural HIE solutions available to as many health providers as is possible, past attempts to address their specific needs have proven to be cost prohibitive due to the initial capital expenditure required as well as the funding needed to pay for additional IT staff.
“In order to be beneficial to the greatest number of patients in our community, a successful HIE must be both accessible and affordable for a wide range of providers,” said Gijs Van Oort, HASA’s executive director. He said, “This partnership enables us to do just that. By making the connection more affordable, we are helping physicians meet Meaningful Use requirements for their reimbursement. By making EMR data available to patients, we are enabling them to maintain control over their healthcare.”
HASA is working with Holon Solutions, a health IT firm that provides HIE solutions to rural and urban healthcare providers, hospitals and health systems. Holon’s HIE interoperability solution, CollaborNet™ utilizes the reporting capabilities provided by a physician’s electronic medical record (EMR) system and transforms the information into a format that can be received by HASA.
“We are excited about working with HASA as they build the HIE for their region using CollaborNet as the exchange’s backbone,” Mike McGuire, CEO of Holon Solutions, said. McGuire added that, “This solution is going to facilitate a meaningful change in the way patient data is able to be shared by HASA’s rural healthcare providers.”
David Pearson, President/CEO of TORCH, said, “The exchange of health information among these providers will improve patient care and care coordination in rural Texas, but resource constraints are a definite challenge.” Pearson added, “Thankfully, innovative and affordable technology is now available through the TORCH/Holon partnership to facilitate widespread HIE deployment in communities all across Texas. We’re excited about the collaboration with HASA and the benefits it will have throughout their service area.”
Van Oort said, “Our goal is to show rural doctors that we can offer an affordable solution to allow them to exchange data in a meaningful way for their MU reimbursement, as well as make their EMR data available for patients through the HASA patient portal.” HASA hopes to prevent the need for doctors to waste time and money on building their own patient portal or purchasing it through their EMR.
About Healthcare Access San Antonio (HASA)
Healthcare Access San Antonio (HASA) is a 501 (c) (3) community collaborative initiative to enhance access to health and medical care for Central Texas residents through Health Information Exchange (HIE). Supported by major providers in the community, HASA adds to the medical safety net by offering an electronic shared patient record in a safe and secure environment. With this level of connectivity across provider entities, care can be delivered more effectively and conveniently. http://www.hasatx.org
About Holon Solutions
Holon’s health information exchange (HIE) solutions help hospitals, health systems and rural providers facilitate a collaborative care environment by providing access to information at the point of care –without forcing anyone in the care team to change current systems or processes. For more information, please visit http://www.holonsolutions.com or call 678-324-2060.
About TORCH
TORCH is an organization comprised of rural and community hospitals, corporations, and interested individuals working together to address the special needs and issues of rural and community hospitals, staff, patients, and communities they serve. TORCH’s mission is to be the voice and principal advocate for rural and community hospitals in Texas, and to provide leadership in addressing the special needs and issues of these hospitals.
Sheryl Roehl, Holon Solutions, http://www.holonsolutions.com, +1 404-434-5330, [email protected]
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