With over 80 hospitals and 2,500 ambulatory practices submitting patients’ medical records to NC HealthConnex, the number of covered lives has doubled in the HIE Network’s first two years of operation.
The number of North Carolinians whose medical records are part of the network will continue to grow as additional hospitals and ambulatory facilities complete their onboarding process. This growing, secure electronic network enables NC HealthConnex participants to access their patients’ comprehensive records across multiple providers as well as to review labs, diagnostics, history, allergies, medications and more. This results in decreased redundancy; more efficient, accurate diagnoses, recommendations and treatment; and improved coordination across all levels of care. This information can be viewed via a clinical portal or through the participants’ EHR if it is fully integrated with NC HealthConnex.
“The scale of participation we’ve seen in just the last six months as health care providers work to meet the HIE Act mandate demonstrates that NC HealthConnex is well on its way to being a valuable tool to support holistic care across the health care continuum,” said Christie Burris, executive director for the NC HIEA. “We’re working to deliver information to help hospitals, primary care physicians, specialists, behavioral health/IDD, ACOs and others involved in patient care do the hard work of improving care coordination, reducing inefficiencies, addressing gaps in care, and enhancing the patient experience.”
NC HIEA Welcomes New Employees
The NC HIEA team is growing! In the last several months we’ve welcomed six new employees.
TorQuailla Aultman joins the team as a public health HIE specialist focused on accelerating the onboarding to the NC Immunization Registry through NC HealthConnex as well as EHR vendor relations. TorQuailla previously worked for AllScripts where she managed HIE integrations.
Jessica Brehmer joins the outreach team as a business development specialist with a focus on skilled nursing, dental, insurance plans, and primary care physician relationships. Jessica previously worked for Humana where she assisted Medicare and Medicaid members on an insurance plan that best fit their needs.
Jason Buckner joins the team as the Assistant Director and Analytics Manager. He comes from the HealthCollaborative in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was responsible for the HealthBridge HIE service line which supported health information technology (HIT) adoption, HIE, analytics and innovative use of information for improved health care outcomes.
Brittani Frisella joins the provider relations team where she will work with providers in the onboarding process. Brittani has a background in customer service.
Karrie Schwencer joins the team as a public health HIE specialist focused on accelerating the onboarding to the NC Immunization Registry through NC HealthConnex as well as EHR vendor relations. Karrie is a registered nurse and has worked in the field of Health Information Technology since 2012, where she worked for Allscripts on Meaningful Use 2, data mapping, data queries, and clinical decision support programs in various EHRs. She also has experience working with case management software and on clinical decision support for Oncology.
Kenya Servia joins the team as business development and outreach specialist with a focus on the behavioral health/IDD community, county health departments, and federally qualified health centers. Prior to her current position, Kenya served as a Public Health Program Consultant with Ryan White Part B and the Housing Opportunity for Persons with AIDS in the AIDS Care Program of the NC Communicable Disease Branch.
Legislative Update
During the legislative session this summer, legislators approved two new laws that will impact NC HealthConnex and the health care community.
NCSL 2018-41 - HIE “Extend Participation in the HIE Network for Certain Providers” – This legislation extends the mandatory date for connection to NC HealthConnex to 2021 for ambulatory surgical centers and dentists, and clarifies that pharmacies shall submit claims - rather than clinical - data to NC HealthConnex. Note: NC HealthConnex participants who fall under this extension of time and have signed the participation agreement are still able to connect and query the clinical portal upon request.
NCSL 2018-76 - Prison Bill – This legislation requires collaboration between DHHS and the HIEA to explore connecting jails and other detention facilities to NC HealthConnex.
HIE Feasibility Study -The HIEA in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Health Plan released the HIE Feasibility Study to the NC General Assembly Joint Legislative Oversight Committees on Health and Human Services and Information Technology earlier this week. A copy of the final report can be found here.
New Data Connections on the Horizon
eHealth Exchange -The eHealth Exchange enables NC HealthConnex to establish connectivity to federal agencies as well as neighboring states for health information exchange. NC HeathConnex is now live with the Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN) and the U.S. Veteran Administration’s HIE (VHIE). Participants can query GaHIN and the VHIE for patient records through the NC HealthConnex clinical portal. Additionally, we are working with the NC Department of Veteran and Military Affairs on a communications campaign to NC veterans to encourage them to opt into the VA’s HIE. The team is in technical discussions with the Department of Defense (DoD) for the next eHealth Exchange connection.
State Controlled Substance Reporting System (CSRS) – The HIEA is working with the DHHS Division of Mental Health and the health information company Appriss to develop an integration to NC HealthConnex to help participants meet the STOP Act requirement that providers check the CSRS before prescribing a controlled substance. Note: providers are not required by law to check the CSRS until the new system has been migrated and the HIE integration has been completed per statute. See below:
“The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law and applies to acts committed 30 days after the date the State Chief Information Officer notifies the Revisor of Statutes that (i) the upgrades to the Controlled Substances Reporting System (CSRS) database described in subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of Section 12F.7 of S.L. 2016-94 have been completed and (ii) the upgraded CSRS database is fully operational within the Department of Information Technology and connected to the statewide health information exchange.”
Providers Who Have Not Initiated Connection to NC HealthConnex by June 1, 2018
As reported by Deputy Secretary for Division of Health Benefits Dave Richard in the June Medicaid Bulletin, “Medicaid will work collaboratively with providers to comply with the initial deadline, and will initiate corrective action, including requiring corrective action plans, to ensure all providers come into compliance.”
At this time, all providers will continue to be enrolled as Medicaid providers and, as they file claims, will receive reimbursements for services and treatment of Medicaid beneficiaries.
Questions regarding the connection process? Contact HIEA@info.gov or call (919) 754-6912
Questions for North Carolina Medicaid? Contact 919-855-4250.
What Does Connected Mean?
To meet the state’s mandate, a Medicaid provider is “connected” when its clinical and demographic information pertaining to services paid for by Medicaid and other State-funded health care funds are being sent to NC HealthConnex—either through a direct connection or via a hub (i.e., a larger system with which it participates, another regional HIE with which it participates or an EHR vendor).
Who's Connected?
For a complete list of participants both live and in on-boarding, click here.
Behavioral Health EHR Funding Program Update
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Office of Rural Health (ORH) and Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) partnered with the NC Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA) to launch a program to assist behavioral health, mental health, and intellectual development and disability practices with purchasing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology and establishing connectivity to the state-designated health information exchange, NC HealthConnex. During the application process, over 260 providers applied for funding. As part of the vetting process of the applications received, we have instituted a self-attestation process to verify applicant eligibility with the program requirements. A survey was distributed last week to the applicants who met the first round of eligibility requirements and the deadline for completing the survey is Friday, July 27. Participants can expect to receive approval/non-approval letters the week of July 30.
Technology Selection
Practices selected to participate will need to determine what software works best for their specific organization. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) developed adoption and implementation documentation that is helpful in the planning and procurement process. BH/IDD practices need to coordinate with other specialties to help their patients. Therefore, practice software must include support for HL7 compliance and enable providers to communicate with various specialties. This capability will allow organizations to connect to NC HealthConnex. For a list of vendors that NC HealthConnex is already engaged with, click here. If you don’t see the vendor your working with on that list, please ensure that they can meet the following technical standards.
Funding
Reimbursements for the Behavioral Health EHR Funding Program will come through NC Tracks after the practice has either connected to NC HealthConnex or has been in the onboarding process for over 30 days. Payment will not exceed the total cost of behavioral health EHR implementation and will go directly to the practice.
Quick Links:
NC HIEA Calendar of Events:
NC Health Care Facilities Association Presentation and HIEA Help Desk – August 8-9, 2018, Myrtle Beach, SC
Behavioral Health/IDD Working Group – August 29, 2018, 1:00-4:00 pm, Raleigh, NC
HIE Task Force - Thursday, September 20, 2018, 2:00-3:30 pm, hosted by NCHICA.
HIEA Advisory Board Meeting – September 26, 2018, 2:00-5:00 pm, SAS Institute, Open to the Public
Questions? Contact NC HIEA at hiea@nc.gov or call (919) 754-6912
In Other News:
HIT Think: Why a holistic view of patient data is crucial in pop health
A holistic view of patients is essential to population health management. Without it, a provider has no way of knowing whether patients received particular services outside of his or her practice or network. That lack of knowledge leads to redundant care and makes it difficult for the clinician to make optimal medical decisions. In addition, a comprehensive view of patients’ tests, treatments and health status can help care teams identify and intervene with patients who are at high risk of being hospitalized. Health Data Management, July 20, 2018
Transferred patients fare better when hospitals communicate more, study finds
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, found a significant amount of lost information, or changes in diagnosis, from a sending hospital to a receiving hospital. In reviewing patients' electronic records, the researchers found 73 percent of patients gained a new diagnosis after they were transferred, while 47 percent of patients lost a diagnosis. Transfers where both hospitals used data-sharing mechanisms, including health information exchange, were linked to a lower rate of information loss and lower mortality, the study found. Beckers Hospital Review.com, July 18, 2018
Making the Care Connections that Matter Most in Rhode Island
By leveraging its connected health network, Rhode Island Quality Institute developed "Designee Alerts," where a patient can designate a proxy to receive updates in their care status in real-time. This innovative adaption of the technology is changing the way care is being provided in Rhode Island. Connected Care Watch, July 12, 2018
About the North Carolina Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA) and NC HealthConnex:
In 2015, the North Carolina General Assembly established a state-managed Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA) to oversee and administer the NC Health Information Exchange Network (NCGS 90-414.7). Housed within the NC Department of Information Technology’s (DIT) Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC), the NC HIEA operates North Carolina’s statewide health information exchange--now called NC HealthConnex. NC HealthConnex is a secure, standardized electronic system in which providers can share important patient health information. The use of this system promotes the access, exchange, and analysis of health information to help improve care coordination, quality of care, and enable better health outcomes.
The NC HIEA was created in Session Law 2015-241 s. 12A.4 and 12A.5 in September 2015 to oversee and administer North Carolina’s HIE. You are receiving the e-mail because of your association with the NC Health Information Exchange Authority.