The Exchange
May 12, 2021 | Issue #8
Welcome to Big Sky Care Connect!
Supporting Healthcare in Montana

It is finally Spring here in the Big Sky! We can look forward to longer days, more sunshine, and - of course - BSCC supporting you 24/7. We continue to support our growing number of participants with live training sessions and Help Desk resources. BSCC offers training for participants multiple times each week, and the reviews show this training to be very worthwhile. If you haven't yet registered for training, be sure to sign up.

In case you haven't heard, I am excited to let you know that I was recently appointed as the Chief Administrative Officer. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

Thank you,
Ben Tyrrell, CAO
Big Sky Care Connect
Ben@mtbscc.org
Please complete the survey on the newsletter. We want to hear your feedback and suggestions.
End User Training

Big Sky Care Connect is offering regularly scheduled live trainings as more participants sign on to the HIE. These trainings cover getting started, searching and viewing patients, patient summary, allergies, procedures, demographics, encounters, diagnostic studies, and medication history in the HIE.

As more functions and features become available within the HIE, short training videos will be created and released so you can keep up-to-date on everything the HIE has to offer. Training recordings can be found on the BSCC website or our YouTube channel.
Fundraising - 501(c)3

Less than 5 months remain for Big Sky Care Connect to access our 90/10 match for HITECH funds! These federal funds, designated to cover costs like onboarding our partners to the HIE, match all gifts raised in our state ten-fold! That means, for example, a generous $1,000 gift becomes $10,000 in funding for this incredible effort. Fundraising activities are running at a fast and furious clip. We have raised $1.5M so far and are in the process of seeking nearly $1.4M in funds from foundations, businesses and individuals toward our overall goal of $6.5M. We are inspired daily by the conversations we are having around Montana!

We are revolutionizing the way providers and patients give and receive healthcare for generations to come, and we are doing that with the help of so many, especially donors like you. Considering making a gift (that will be matched ten-fold) to the project? Please do not hesitate to reach out to Carolyn (carolyn@mtbscc.org) – she is happy to help!
BSCC News
BSCC Appoints Ben Tyrrell as
Chief Administrative Officer
Big Sky Care Connect (BSCC) is excited to announce that Ben Tyrrell has taken on the role of Chief Administrative Officer. Ben has over 25 years of experience in healthcare operations, strategic leadership, and business development and has been working on the BSCC project as both a board member and as a consultant over the past 2 and half years. He is very excited to take on this new role with BSCC and looks forward to supporting the organization in the great work already underway.
Newly Connected Participants
*New live participants

Advanced Care Hospital of Montana
Big Horn Hospital Association
Billings Clinic
Cabinet Peaks Medical Center
Logan Health
Marias Medical Center

Newly Signed Participants
*recently joined Participants

Big Sandy Medical Center
Bullhook Community Health Center
Central Montana Medical Center
Clark Fork Valley Hospital
Family Health and Wellness
Hillside Health & Rehabilitation
Immanuel Lutheran
Ivy Healthcare – Great Falls
Ivy Healthcare – Deer Lodge
Livingston Healthcare
Northern Montana Heath Care
Pondera Medical Center
Riverside Health Care Center
Roundup Memorial Healthcare
Sheridan Memorial Hospital Association

For a full list of BSCC HIE Participants click here.
Data Available in HIE

Since Go-Live in December, the HIE continues to grow. As more organizations contribute data and more functions are implemented within the HIE, the information will grow creating the robust data system Montana has been waiting to have access to.

Data that you can expect to see when you get in the system includes:
  • patient demographics
  • allergies
  • medications
  • diagnoses and problems
  • patient encounters (inpatient, outpatient, emergency)
  • diagnostic studies (order details and results)
  • coming soon - lab results
Features Dr. Randy Thompson of Billings Clinic and BSCC Board Member.

Providers and health IT professionals across the country are demanding health information exchange, but developing a sufficient infrastructure is challenging. Read the article to learn more about the challenges and stages of creating a robust health information exchange.

ehrintelligence.com
Join the Network TODAY!


Check out BSCC's new informational video! Find out how BSCC provides critical information at the right time and place, supporting providers and their patients across the Big Sky.
HIE Industry News
How a Rural HIE Boosted its Public Health Reporting, Data Exchange

Providers in North Dakota were utilizing paper forms before COVID-19, but the statewide HIE streamlined the process for faster public health reporting and patient data exchange results.
Health Information Exchanges Jump to Front of Health IT Line This Year

2021 will continue one positive trend begun in 2020: maturing and increasingly cloud-based health information exchange, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, but yielding benefits...
ONC: Information Blocking Opens Doors for Interoperability

ONC’s Micky Tripathi led a recent information blocking event to give healthcare stakeholders his thoughts on the present and future of the information blocking regulations.
CMS and ONC Rules: What They Mean for You

Impact on Health IT Vendors, Providers, and Payers

Click the link below to learn more about the new Rules.
Interested in Partnering with BSCC?
Health Facilities & Providers
Interested in participating in Montana’s HIE to gain access to comprehensive patient information collected from payors and health care organizations across the State? Harness the power of health information by joining BSCC, Montana’s premier statewide HIE. Contact Big Sky Care Connect today at (406) 422-1078 or email us at information@mtbscc.org. BSCC was created through 90/10 grant funding and championed by leaders within Montana’s healthcare community. 
 
Patients
Become a part of the BSCC Network today by talking to your provider. If your provider’s facility participates in the BSCC Network, then you are already in! Being in the network allows providers who are unfamiliar with your history to access to your health information – like during an emergency or when you change or are referred to another provider. Your participation is voluntary, and you can opt out at any time by requesting an opt out from your provider. If you do choose to opt out, first speak with your provider about the benefits or check out our website at mtbscc.org for more information. Montana’s statewide HIE enhances the quality of care while empowering patients to play an active role in their healthcare.
Harnessing the power of healthcare information to create healthy Montana communities.
This project is funded in whole or in part under a Contract with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The statements herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Department.

Big Sky Care Connect
www.mtbscc.org | 406-422-1078