E-Health Network of LI First to Sign with NY E-Health Collaborative for Statewide Healthcare Records Info Network
This relationship is the first step to connecting Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) in New York to each other to allow providers to view health information, of consented patients statewide
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| e-Health Network of Long Island’s Executive Staff–Back row from left: Fred Sganga, Treasurer; Jean Sampson, Legal Counsel, Stony Brook Medical Center; Jane Tsui-Wu, Secretary; Denise Reilly, Executive Director. Front row – Craig Lehmann, Founder; Tom Consalvo, Information Security Officer; Maureen Gaffney, Chairperson, and William Bifulco, Chief Technology Officer |
LONG ISLAND, NY, June 6, 2012 – The e-Health Network of Long Island, a Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) with participating partners throughout Long Island, is the first RHIO to sign an agreement with the New York e-Health Collaborative (NYeC) to begin sharing data with other RHIOs in New York State. NYeC is spearheading efforts to launch the State Health Information Network of New York’s (SHIN-NY) platform statewide, for connectivity for health information exchange. This enterprise will allow e-Health Network’s participating providers to view information about their patients who have given their consent, to determine what type of care they may have received at other facilities in various regions of the state.
By connecting to the SHIN-NY, e-Health Network of Long Island is building upon the network it has already established in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, to become a key resource in patient care for healthcare providers across the state of New York. The clinical data that can be accessed through RHIOs for consented patients assists healthcare providers to have a more complete picture of a patient’s medical history prior to making healthcare decisions regarding treatment of their patients.
“It is exciting to be the first to engage in a groundbreaking movement to improve our patient’s healthcare,” said Denise Reilly, Executive Director of e-Health Network of Long Island.
The e-Health Network stakeholders who have been working together to exchange information in the Long Island region, are now are eager to forge ahead to share information from their patient’s electronic health records statewide. “Southampton Hospital has been very excited to be an active participant in the e-Health Network of Long Island, said Robert Chaloner, President and CEO, Southampton Hospital and e-Health Network, Co-Chair. “We believe that faster access to better patient data in our region has the potential to improve patient care. The contract between e-Health Network of Long Island and NYeC is the next evolutionary step to link all providers in the State. We look forward to being part of this exciting new effort.”
The move to participate in a statewide health information exchange offers great advantages to all the patients and providers that are a part of e-Health Network. “All of us at Stony Brook Medicine and all our e-Health Network of Long Island Partners are excited about this opportunity to improve patient care,” said Fred Sganga, Interim CEO, Stony Brook University Hospital, and Executive Director of the Long Island State Veterans Home. “As the first in New York State to sign up with NYeC, we are ensuring that Long Islanders, no matter where they eventually receive care in New York State, will have a clear advantage in both being diagnosed and treated. Sganga also expressed that the collaboration “will have a tremendous impact on reducing duplication of services, and that’s good for everyone.”
Maureen Gaffney, Chief Medical Information Officer, Winthrop University Hospital and e-Health Network Chairperson also looks forward to e-Health Network’s relationship with NYeC as a member of the SHIN-NY. “Joining the SHIN-NY expands our RHIO’s ability to provide health information that enables healthcare providers to deliver safe, efficient clinical treatment to our patients, no matter where they are in New York State, Gaffney said.” She adds, “ultimately, the capability to bring critical health information to the point of care saves lives.”
HealthUnity, the health information exchange platform for e-Health Network has also contracted with NYeC to facilitate the creation of the statewide Network. “HealthUnity has been continuously serving eHealth Network of Long Island since 2005. This new contract with NYeC is recognition of our proven track record of exceeding our customer’s expectations”, said Prem Urali, CEO, HealthUnity. “We are delighted to welcome NYeC to our marquee list of large HIE customers which include MetroChicago HIE and Medstar Health HIE.”
HealthUnity will bring advanced technology to the state level. “True to our motto of ‘trust is earned’, we have now earned the trust of NYeC that will be deploying our SaaS-based MPI, HIE, ACO and NwHIN services for the state of New York,” Urali added. The Health Unity platform also has a sophisticated and unique electronic mechanism for capturing patient consent for multiple facilities at one time. Currently, e-Health Network is the only RHIO in New York State that uses an electronic, paperless consent process.
“E-Health Network of Long Island has provided pioneering health information exchange capabilities to its community,” said David Whitlinger, Executive Director of the New York eHealth Collaborative. “Its staff brings skill and vision to the SHIN-NY and we look forward to building on its success by expanding connectivity throughout New York State.”
The contract signing between e-Health Network and NYeC sets the stage to solidify the collaborative efforts of the SHIN-NY. Currently, there are five downstate RHIOs that NYeC will be looking to connect to the SHIN-NY sometime by the end of the year. Reilly calls the endeavor “a true collaboration, and looks forward to the other RHIO’s in the state to follow suit in signing contracts with NYeC,” in the immediate future.
© Stony Brook University 2012
