However, what happens if that patient is referred to you from a different healthcare system? What if your patient ends up in the Emergency Department somewhere? How can you be sure that you or any other treating provider has all the data needed to treat your patient appropriately- How can you avoid duplicating tests or giving the patient medication that conflicts with a previous diagnosis? The world is bigger than a single EMR, so how do you grow from that?
This is why you need to participate in a Health Information Exchange (HIE). HIEs like Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE) connect to as many EMRs as possible in order to create one cohesive view of the patient’s history. In Idaho, this means that a provider at St. Luke’s can view records from Saint Alphonsus in order to perform life-saving care in spite of the fact that both health systems utilize different EMRs. More than that, due to a Patient-Centered Data Home (PCDH) initiative, other HIEs (including IHDE) are participating in a nation-wide partnership to ensure the health and safety of patients all across the U.S.
To put it in perspective, IHDE holds over 75% of the region’s data within our systems and we connect with over 21 different EMRs in the state of Idaho. The PCDH Initiative has us exchanging information with 26 other state HIEs and counting.
Why limit yourself to information in one EMR? HIE is the next logical step. Join today!
