New York Department of Health, Regional Health Professionals Introduce New Way for Patients to Access Health Records
Schenectady, NY (PRWEB) November 25, 2014 -- The Director of the New York State Department’s Office of Quality & Patient Safety Patrick Roohan joined Ellis Medicine and Hixny, which operates the health information exchange serving the Capital District, Northern New York and the Mohawk Valley, to share an update on the state of health information exchange in the region. They also unveiled the new Hixny patient portal, which is being rolled out at six regional hospitals, including Ellis Hospital, which allows patients to safely and securely access their complete electronic medical records. This portal empowers patients to safely and securely view, download and transmit their electronic medical records.
Earlier this year, the New York State Legislature voted to support New York’s electronic health records system, the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY). This innovative, public network will enable doctors and patients to securely access their electronic health records, no matter where they live or work in the state, to improve the quality of care and to help reduce wasteful health care spending.
The Director of the New York State Department’s Office of Quality & Patient Safety highlighted the progress made so far on the implementation of the SHIN-NY, and praised the new Hixny patient portal, which will make it faster and easier for New Yorkers to communicate about their health information with their doctors.
“Hixny and the Statewide Health Information Network of New York are essential to improving the delivery of health care in the Empire State,” said Acting New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “By giving doctors and patients the ability to access critical health data when they need it, these networks will help reduce health care costs, and more importantly, save lives.”
Hixny is a Qualified Entity which operates the health information exchange serving more than 1.7 million patients in the Capital District, Northern New York and the Mohawk Valley. Hixny recently rolled out a patient portal with six regional hospitals which allows patients to safely and securely view, download and transmit their electronic medical records.
“We are proud to have established the first community-wide patient portal in New York State and we are excited for its ability to enhance care coordination for the 1.7 million patients in our region,” said Mark McKinney, CEO of Hixny. “This community-wide portal is the latest step on behalf of our unique regional collaborative to support the triple aim of enhanced patient experience, improving population health and reducing healthcare costs.”
“By accessing data through Hixny, Ellis physicians have been able to better understand their patients’ complete medical history, helping them provide better care more quickly,” said Paul Milton, Executive Vice President and COO of Ellis Medicine. “The patient portal allows patients to take a more proactive role in their healthcare, leading to ultimately a safer, better experience. The more healthcare providers who sign up for the patient portal, the more we can do to improve care coordination to help keep the Capital Region healthy.”
In addition to Ellis Medicine five other regional hospitals are utilizing the Hixny Secure Patient Portal including: Adirondack Health, The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, Columbia Memorial Hospital, Nathan Littauer Hospital and Saratoga Hospital. When patients are discharged from these hospitals, healthcare professionals create an account which allows the patient to securely access their electronic community health records.
Previously, patient health data on the Hixny network has been accessible only to healthcare providers within the Capital District, Northern New York and Mohawk Valley.
However, with patients’ consent, the SHIN-NY will expand Hixny’s reach, giving healthcare providers instant access to critically important patient health information, no matter where they are located in the state. For example, if a patient from Schenectady needed care while visiting New York City, especially in a medical emergency, the SHIN-NY would allow the treating physician instant access to the information they need to provide effective treatment.
The SHIN-NY also ensures that people, who regularly see doctors in other regions, like the Hudson Valley, can have their health records accessed seamlessly.
In addition to improving the quality of care and improving patient safety, creating a statewide network is expected to save hundreds of millions across the state through reduced re-admissions and eliminating redundant tests. For more information about the SHIN-NY, please visit http://www.nyehealth.org.
About Hixny:
Hixny (“hix-knee”) is the hub of a truly unique collaboration that transforms information into improved healthcare and community wellness. It connects providers, patients and organizations in the Capital Region, Northern New York and Mohawk Valley to better coordinate care and reduce healthcare costs across our community. Hixny’s programs and services give patients and clinicians real-time electronic access to patients’ comprehensive medical history for making timely, informed care decisions. As a not-for-profit, Hixny collaborates with health plans, hospitals, physician practices, employers, government agencies, patients and others in its region who share the common vision and goal of substantially transforming healthcare and improving population health. To learn more about Hixny, visit http://www.hixny.org.
About Ellis Hospital:
Ellis Medicine is a 438-bed community and teaching healthcare system serving New York’s Capital Region. With four campuses – Ellis Hospital, Ellis Health Center, Bellevue Woman’s Center and Medical Center of Clifton Park – Ellis Medicine provides a lifetime of care for patients. Follow Ellis Medicine on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Learn more at http://www.ellismedicine.org.
About New York State Department of Health:
The New York State Department of Health is charged with protecting the health, productivity and wellbeing of all New Yorkers by striving to create healthy communities and ensuring access to quality, evidence-based, cost-effective health services. With a budget of more than $58 billion, the Department regulates more than 200 hospitals and hundreds of other health care facilities; administers the state's public health insurance programs; oversees more than 80,000 New York state-licensed doctors, administers the state health benefit marketplace, NY State of Health; runs a premier biomedical laboratory; and supports numerous, innovative public health and prevention initiatives.
Eric Wohlleber, Hixny, http://www.hixny.org, +1 518 783-0518 Ext: 27, [email protected]
Share this article