The LINK                                 September 2017/Issue 30
Adoption
Percent of WNY practices who participate with HEALTHeLINK:  87%

Total number of patient consent forms signed: 1,000,195

Total results available through HEALTHeLINK: Over 206 million

Total number of patient record look up queries in HEALTHeLINK from January - August 2017: 1,622,740

Total number of practices sending data to HEALTHeLINK from their EMR: 205

Total number of practices getting results delivered from HEALTHeLINK into their EMR:  360
New Data Sources
All Care for Women
Amandeep Pal MD PLLC
Arvind K Wadhwa MD
Brain And Spine Medical AKA (Invision Health)
Buffalo Endocrinology, L.L.C.
Catholic Health System
Chouchani & Sayegh
Cleveland Hill Medical Group 
Dwight Lewis MD
Eastern Niagara Hospital Systems
George Haddad MD
Inspired Health Group 
Internal Med ID Associates 
Jamestown Area Medical Association 
Kaleida Health System (105 Clinics included)
Lakeshore Home Health 
Lancaster Medical, L.L.C.
Meadow Family Medicine
OBGYN Associates Of WNY
Orchard Park Family Practice
Parkview Primary Care Physicians PLLC
Patricia J Danaher MD PC
Paul Young, M.D., LLC
Ronald J Clarke DO
Sarwat Khawar (Odell Medical)
Southgate Medical Group
Southtowns Family Practice, P.C
Suresh Sofat MD 
Thomas Hughes MD 
Trinity Medical Cardiology (Buffalo Heart Group)
UB Surgeons 
UBMD Dermatology
UBMD Family Addiction Medicine 
UBMD Family Amherst
UBMD Family Medicine at Conventus
UBMD Family Medicine Lakeshore Behavioral
UBMD Family Sheridan
UBMD Internal Medicine Pediatrics
UBMD Pediatric Division Endocrinology & Diabetes
UBMD Pediatric- Gastroenterology
UBMD Sleep Medicine
University Gynecologists Obestatricians
University Nephrology
University Neurology INC
University Urology INC
UPA Adolescent Medicine
UPA Allergy and Immunology Dept
UPA Genetics
UPA Hematology-Oncology
UPA Infectious Diseases
UPA Nephrology
UPA Pediatric Cardiology
UPA Pediatric Pulmonay Dept
WNY Medical PC
WNY Primary Care

For a complete listing of data sources and participating practices, click here!
Top Users of HEALTHeLINK's Patient Record Look-up
Hospitals
  1. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
  2. Kaleida Health System
  3. Catholic Health System
  4. Erie County Medical Center
  5. Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Physician Practices
  1. Dent Neurologic Institute
  2. General Physicians
  3. WNY Urology
  4. UBMD Internal Medicine 
  5. Landmark Health
  6. Trinity Medical Cardiology
  7. Gastroenterology Associates
  8. UB Neurosurgery
  9. Nephrology Associates of WNY 
  10. David Avino, MD
1 million consented patients reached!


HEALTHeLINK has hit the 1 million goal of uniquely consented patients in Western New York. This encompasses all patients who completed a consent form whether providing or denying their consent.
Working collaboratively to improve data quality
HEALTHeLINK has a long history of positive collaboration with the community and is continually working to optimize the content and performance of our system and develop additional services to support the efforts of the local ACOs, PPSs, MCOs, IPAs and other organizations who have population health and quality improvement initiatives in place. Ensuring that our participating physicians and providers have their patients' most accurate clinical information at the time of the office visit or encounter is essential to providing high quality, safe and cost effective care while meeting the requirements set forth by these organizations. 
 
We have been asked by our community partners to work collaboratively with practices to improve the quality of data we receive. Later this year we will make available a "scorecard" which will contain information about the types and quality of the data your practice is providing to HEALTHeLINK. Knowledge of where data gaps and data quality issues exist is the key to ensuring that all necessary patient information, both clinical and non-clinical, is available in the exchange. Should you have any questions about this initiative, please contact your HEALTHeLINK account manager directly, or by calling 716-206-0993 x105.
Updates to Patient Consent
With a recent change in New York State regulations and HEALTHeLINK policy, a patient's consent to access their health information now goes farther. It now applies to all current and future HEALTHeLINK participants (health care providers providing treatment to the patient). Previously, a patient's consent only applied to health care providers who were participants on the date the patient signed the consent form. This means, patients do not need to sign additional consent forms when being treated by providers who became participants after the patient signed a HEALTHeLINK consent form.

Effective June 30, HEALTHeLINK is using a new Patient Consent form that reflects some changes in New York State and federal regulations with regards to patient consent for access through HEALTHeLINK. To this point, we will be transitioning to the exclusive use of this new form by October 1, 2017. The new form is currently available on the HEALTHeLINK website  here. Consents in 11 additional languages are available on the  HEALTHeLINK website. Your HEALTHeLINK Account Manager will also be reviewing this new form with you as they visit your practice. 
 
We would ask that the use of any old forms cease as soon as possible.  We will not process any consents received on any outdated form after October 1. Please dispose of any old forms you may have printed or saved to your website. Moving forward, we request that any inclusion of the new form on your website be done by linking to the new consent form on the HEALTHeLINK website at the link above. If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk or your HEALTHeLINK Account Manager.
3rd Annual SHIEC Conference
HEALTHeLINK representatives attended the 3rd annual SHIEC (Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative) Conference, held August 27-30 in Indianapolis. This year's conference offered sessions on SHIEC initiatives such as the Patient Centered Data Home as well as innovations in technology, payer relations and quality. HEALTHeLINK Executive Director Dan Porreca, who also serves on the SHIEC board, participated in a panel discussion,  Innovative uses of HIE data: Providing value to the community. 

Steve Allen, Director of Operations at HEALTHeLINK, participated in  Data analytics & population health:Consent, data use, data rights and use cases panel discussion. 


Technology Director Drew McNichol competes in Ironman
HEALTHeLINK Technology Director & Security Officer Drew McNichol competed in the Ironman 70.3 Ohio race on July 30 in Delaware, Ohio. Drew finished the 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike course and 13.1 mile run in a time of 05:55:43. Congratulations Drew!

HEALTHeLINK Medical Minutes
The HEALTHeLINK Medical Minutes continue to air Wednesdays on Fox 29 during the 10 p.m. newscast. Recent minutes that have aired include:
HEALTHeLINK in the News
Business First: Future of Health Care: 3 top executives share insights (HEALTHeLINK mentioned)
Diagnostic Imaging: HIEs Seek to Become One-Stop Shop for MACRA Reporting
Health Data Management: HIE helps reduce some therapeutic medical procedures
Physicians Practice: HIEs Seek to Become One-Stop Shop for MACRA Reporting
What people are saying about HEALTHeLINK
Hear firsthand from various local health care leaders about the value and benefits of health information exchange in Western New York with the HEALTHeLINK Medical Minute. http://wnyhealthelink.com/WhatWeDo/MedicalMinutes  
Resources

   


Proud to be part of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY)

Proud member of SHIEC (Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative)