A new information exchange partnership announced Monday will connect Brockton Neighborhood Health Center — which currently provides care to some 25,000 patients — to the Massachusetts Health Information Highway, the statewide HIE network.
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s MeHI has awarded a $75,000 grant to Network Health, a nonprofit health plan that delivers health coverage to more than 215,000 Massachusetts residents, to spearhead the partnership with Brockton Neighborhood Health Center on the Mass HIway. The BNHC collaboration was one of 32 projects that received grant money to connect to the state’s HIE.
The Mass HIway, launched in 2012 by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, is a network designed for securely sharing health data to improve the quality of care.
“Securely sharing records and detailed care plans for patients in real time forges stronger partnerships between care providers, community organizations and health plans to deliver the most efficient and effective care possible,” said Sue Joss, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center chief executive officer, in a July 8 press statement.
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Currently, BNHC, together with Network Health, coordinate care for high-risk patients via a telephonic process unsupported by integrated systems. The grant will enable the organizations to securely exchange the information necessary to provide improved patient-centered, team-oriented care. Officials say now all care team members can access real-time data and act on key information, helping the organizations in their ongoing efforts to achieve the best health outcomes.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity and resources to partner with BNHC and get them connected to the Mass HIway,” said Peter Bristol, Network Health chief technology officer, in a press statement. “This new statewide health information exchange network has tremendous potential to address the information gaps which undermine effective care. The inability to electronically share health information in a secure and timely way has been a huge source of frustration for patients, health plans and providers,” he added.
According to Bristol, the HIE network is the solution. “It provides the necessary trust fabric, gateways, directory services, and routing services to interconnect the state’s many health information systems. Health centers like BNHC are on the front lines of improving the health and wellness of their communities, and need this type of connectivity to provide the best care possible.”
Date: July 8, 2013