Health Information Exchange (HIE)
Health information exchange (HIE) between physicians is essential to ensure quality and reliable treatment. Due to a large number of medical institutions and medical personnel, the ability to receive accurate information about the patient on time is a central task of the modern healthcare system.
There is a state-of-the-art system that provides medical personnel with access to a patient’s medical information needed to treat him/her.
- In hospitals. Access to the network is provided to medical personnel who receive only the specific type of access they need. People who have been granted access can view patient information only during their hospital stay and for a specified period thereafter. We are talking about shared access to computerized information, which contains all the basic medical information from the patient’s medical file, collected from hospitals and health insurance funds;
- At the health insurance funds. The health insurance funds receive daily reports on visits to hospital admissions and hospitalizations of all insured members of the health insurance fund who were discharged from hospitals on that particular day. In the future, information on HIX (public health insurance exchanges) will be included in the general medical file of the patient in all health insurance funds.
Benefits of HIE
- Attending staff can directly quickly obtain important and accurate medical information about the patient;
- Pennsylvania health insurance exchange is especially important when contacting the emergency department of a hospital for complex patients in emergency situations when the patient finds it difficult or unable to transfer the necessary medical information on hi/her own;
- The exchange of information will reduce the likelihood of errors in diagnosis and treatment that can occur due to insufficient information, and thus will contribute to making more accurate and correct clinical decisions in a short time;
- Sharing information will save the patient from unnecessary tests and checks, thus reducing inconvenience to the patient and even potential harm, such as unnecessary radiation exposure.
Illustrative examples of how sharing information improves the quality of care:
- An elderly patient was hospitalized in a state of disorientation, unaccompanied and without a referral, due to various medical problems and illnesses. Electronic medical records (EMRs) showed a list of permanent medications that the patient was taking. Thus, the doctors were able to continue the constant medication during hospitalization, maintain a balanced treatment and prevent the patient’s condition from worsening;
- During the examination of a 40-year-old patient in the admission department of the hospital, changes in the electrocardiogram were noted, which caused suspicion of myocardial infarction. Insurance information exchange showed that the changes in the electrocardiogram were not new and did not occur as a result of an acute incident. Thus, the possibility of myocardial infarction was excluded and unnecessary hospitalization and unnecessary invasive procedures (shunting) were prevented.
Protection of private information
During the formation of the project and during its implementation, great attention is paid to the protection of private information, to ensure the rights of the patient.
- Logging into the Personal Health Records system is possible only for medical personnel using authorized access, in accordance with the profile and position in the medical institution;
- Access to Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health is only possible during the patient’s hospital visit. Doctors and special officials have the right to get the information within a certain time after the patient is discharged to complete the treatment process and medical records;
- Security of infrastructures – there is no central database. Information is transmitted through sites connected through a separate and secure network, with central protection, encrypted using the latest technology. The PA health insurance exchange system, which has been verified by information security experts, consists of a protective shell of infrastructures that prevents system hacking and cyber-attacks;
- Information confidentiality – some of the health information and information sources are classified as highly confidential: Psychiatric information is only available to persons with mental health clearance. Information about psychiatric hospitalization of children and adolescents is not transferred to the database; Other confidential information is not displayed: termination of pregnancy, HIV test results, genetic tests and consultations, surrogacy and adoption, egg donation, sperm donation, treatment for victims of sexual assault;
- It is possible to log out of the network, so that patient information becomes unavailable in the information exchange system.