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July 2020
How HealtHIE Georgia Is Linking Providers
and Improving Outcomes in Rural Georgia
HealtHIE Georgia, a regional health information exchange (RHIE) serving rural Georgia communities, is taking an innovative, multi-pronged approach to improving the health of the communities it serves. It begins with the creation of digitally connected care communities anchored by the local hospital and includes programs targeting opioids, behavioral health and women’s health. Technology, including connectivity, ADT alerts and telehealth, are an integral part of achieving success.

That’s in addition to strong growth and adding new hospitals to its network. HealtHIE Georgia has either recently added or is in the process of onboarding the following hospitals: Bacon County Hospital, Clinch Memorial Hospital, Elbert Memorial Hospital, Stephens County Hospital, Liberty Regional Medical Center and Coffee Regional Medical Center.

Since joining the RHIE in 2015, Executive Director Mark Renfro has obtained $25 million in grants to support the implementation of technology connections between hospitals, private physicians and other community care providers, and the launch of a range of programs.

“In order to manage chronic conditions, physicians need comprehensive patient information available in real time,” says Renfro. “That’s why we were the first to pilot GaHIN’s ADT alerts – patients can’t afford to wait three or four days after a hospital discharge for their doctor to follow up. Through grants, we are able to defray technology costs that would typically be higher due to lower volume in small rural markets.”

Achieving Interoperability Across the Care Continuum -
a Webinar with HealtHIE Georgia

There are a wide range of care organizations and individuals involved when a patient travels along the care continuum – from the family physician to specialists to the hospital to long-term care to rehab, for example. Learn how care across each stop in the continuum can be improved with shared information, and what you can do to strengthen secure sharing. Our special speakers will be HealtHIE Georgia's Mark Renfro and Knicole Lee.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020 - 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Harbin Clinic Now Live with GaHIN
The Harbin Clinic went live with GaHIN on June 24. Harbin Clinic is the largest privately owned, multi-specialty physician group in Georgia, comprised of 240 medical professionals representing 40 different medical specialties and services. While Harbin Clinic began in Rome, Georgia, there are now 21 Harbin Clinic practices located in Acworth, Adairsville, Armuchee, Calhoun, Cartersville, Cedartown, Rome and Summerville.

Special GeorgiaDirect, VA Outages in July

Health Catalyst will perform maintenance on Tuesday, July 21st between 8-10 p.m. During this maintenance window GeorgiaDirect may be offline. Please share this information with all users of GeorgiaDirect secure email services in your organization. Scheduled maintenance on the second Tuesday of each month will resume in August.

The VA will conduct system maintenance Monday, July 20 - Thursday, July 23 . During this time, VA data will only be current as of 7/19. There will be a hard downtime window on 7/21 between 8p-12a EDT. Starting 7/24, all VA data will be current and available.
August Webinar on Our Most Popular Topic: Customizing the GaHIN Clinical Viewer and Accessing it Through GAMMIS

GaHIN’s Clinical Viewer offers access to a wide array of patient information. During this webinar, we’ll review the clinical information that is available and explain how you can re-arrange the tabs and windows to streamline access to the specific information you need. We’ll also include an introduction for Medicaid providers on how to access the clinical viewer through the GAMMIS portal. With the GaHIN Clinical Viewer, providers can see current patient information to facilitate clinical decision making and ultimately improve outcomes.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 

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