HealtheConnections Expands Clinical-Community Referrals
Connecting clinicians and community-based programs to improve health.
In 2016, HealtheConnections set out to improve the referral process by leveraging the power of the HIE and its large pool of participants, and created a mechanism for healthcare providers to make perinatal referrals to the Healthy Families Program for Onondaga County residents. Now, the organization is about to launch its expanded referral platform that provides healthcare professionals with the tools they need to refer patients to evidence-based community programs.
With funding from the New York State Department of Health under the Local IMPACT grant, HealtheConnections was able to expand supporting HIE architecture and begin referrals to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) in seven Central New York counties. The success of these initiatives has led to the current expansion of the platform, increasing the number of counties covered by the service and adding three new evidence-based programs: Chronic Disease Self-Management, Diabetes Self-Management and Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring.
The benefits of the platform lie in the ease of choosing and making the referral, and opening a bi-directional channel for feedback. Using HealtheConnections’ extensive and diverse participant base and HIE infrastructure, it allows healthcare providers to select the community-based program best suited for the patient, complete an online referral form, and submit the form directly to the receiving organization via Direct Mail. The recipient organization can then begin working with the patient to obtain consent and use HealtheConnections’ Patient Lookup to view other medical information that may be vital to the patient’s improvement plan. The entire referral process is HIPAA-compliant and supports bi-directional communication between the provider and the community-based organization, thereby helping providers meet their value-based care delivery targets.
The platform has already generated positive attention from Central New York communities as well as other communities across the state and nationally. HealtheConnections was chosen to be a presenter at the National Diabetes Prevention Program conference hosted by the CDC in June to discuss the mechanics of the platform and benefits to the HIE community.
The vision and goals for the platform directly support the mission of improved care for all patients. HealtheConnections is motivated to continue growth in this area, expanding on current services and seeking out innovative approaches to improve health in our region and beyond.
New Participants
CSL Plasma
Dryden Optometry PC
Ear to Hear Inc
Full Spectrum Rehabilitation and Wellness LLC
Open Sky Wellness LLC
Orlando Chiropractic of Potsdam
PEACE Inc.- Summer Head Start
Skaneateles Spine & Sport
Soo R Kim MD PC
Southern Tier Connect
EMR Integrations in Process
HealtheConnections has recently went live with the following EMRs:
| EMR | Functionality | Data Type |
| Darwin | CCDs inbound to HeC | Dialysis Data |
HealtheConnections is currently in the process of implementing with the following Electronic Medical Records systems. These EMRs represent multiple organizations within the HeC footprint and will allow for their data to be shared with the community.
| EMR | Functionality | Data Type |
| eMDs | Unidirectional CCD to HeC | Primary Care Data |
| QS1 PrimeCare | HL7v2 inbound to HeC | Pharmacy/Prescription Data |
| AllScripts ProEHR | Bi-directional CCD flow | Practice Data |
| PrecisionCare | Bi-Directional CCD flow | Human Services Data |
| Foothold Awards | Bi-Directional CCD flow | Human Services/LTC Data |
| Accumedic | Bi-Directional CCD flow | Human Services/LTC Data |
| ClinicTracker (Kno2 HUB) | Unidirectional CCD to HeC | Primary Care Data |
New Data Sources
| Data Source |
| Eye Consultants of Syracuse, PC |
| The Centers of St. Camillus |
| Dialysis Clinic Inc |
New Data Types from Existing Data Sources
| Data Source | Data Type |
| Upstate University Hospital | EKG Data |
May HIE Statistics
Patient Lookup
- Users Accessing the HIE: 2,769
- Logins: 38,562
- Documents Viewed: 127,626
- Total Patients Accesses: 47,978
Data Contribution
- Clinical Records Received: 6,551,344
- Patient Encounter Summaries (CCDs) Received: 726,323
Results Delivery
- Results Delivered: 525,256
- Total Practices: 150
- Total Recipients: 1,709
Alerts
Total Alerts: 1,695,011
- Emergency Department Registration: 688,383
- Inpatient Admission:280,352
- Discharge from Inpatient Stay: 180,304
Direct Mail
- Total Users: 3,348
Data Contributors
- Hospitals: 20
- Labs: 23 (includes hospitals)
- Imaging Centers: 31 (includes hospitals)
- Practices/Other: 191
Participating Organizations
Total Participating Organizations: 846
- Hospitals: 23
- Practices: 450
- Public Health: 12
- FQHC: 9
- Behavioral Health: 135
- Other Healthcare Entities: 185
- Labs: 28 (including hospitals)
- Radiology Centers: 41 (includes hospitals)