Medical Director's Corner: Just So YOU Know

Volume 2, Issue 1

Medical Director's Corner: Just so YOU know

Friends,

What’s new since my last write-up? So much has changed since my last volume of Just so YOU know. I am pleased to report that Rochester RHIO hit a milestone with its introduction of SAMHSA Part 2 data in Explore, supporting better continuity of patient care. In addition, this information becomes one more tool that we can use to help fight the opioid epidemic in our community.

It's important to note that Part 2 data it is gated by patient consent. As a result, in February, we restricted public health users' access to statewide queries, which contain Part 2 data. Why? Given that public health users can view data without consent (as allowed by law), this had to be limited because Part 2 data viewing requires a signed RHIO patient consent form.

We understand this may mean changes to your workflow. If you'd like to talk more about these changes, feel free to reach out to me directly. You can also speak with your Regional Account Manager for more details.

What is SAMHSA, or Part 2 data?

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA, or Part 2, data is a term that applies to any service received at a federally-assisted facility, provider, or clinic for the treatment of a substance use disorder or behavioral health care. A recorded webinar, FAQs, and other educational materials about Part 2 data are available at rochesterrhio.org/samhsa. For additional questions, contact our RHIO Support Team at 1-877-865-7446.

Growth:

Rochester RHIO hopes to continue to provide value to our community through the services we offer. With more data passing through the RHIO each day, we thought we would share a look over the past three years. Thank you to all our participants and data contributors for your continued support and collaboration as we work to expand the patient’s community record.

Patient Care Network (PCN)

It has been eight months since this feature went live inside RHIO Explore. This free feature gives you a longitudinal view of your patient’s hospital and office setting encounters within Rochester RHIO’s 13-counties coverage area. On average, we are getting about 400 views a month. For those not familiar, the PCN tab is located just below the Repository tab on the left side of the Explore Summary Page. If you haven't already given it a try, I encourage you to use it. As a physician, I have found PCN to be extremely useful to find out where my patient has been, who saw him/her and where, what is the contact number of the provider, and much more.

Want to learn more about the Patient Care Network tool? You can reach out to your Regional Account Manager, or contact our Support Team directly to set up a demonstration or to receive onsite training.

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