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Expert judges awarded top three designs for statewide website where New Yorkers will soon be able to access their healthcare records

New York, NY – The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) announced today the winners of its Design Challenge for the Patient Portal for New Yorkers. Mana Health placed first, iHealthNY second, and MyHealthProfile third and will be awarded $15,000, $7,500, and $2,500 respectively. View their products here.

The Patient Portal for New Yorkers project is to build a website, through which New Yorkers across the state will be able to access all of their medical records from their various healthcare providers safely and securely. To create the most innovative and user-friendly portal design, NYeC launched a Design Challenge earlier this year, asking designers to submit portal prototypes. Then in April, the general public was asked to vote on which design submissions they liked best. Thousands of New Yorkers cast their votes and selected the nine remaining finalists.

“One of the most important achievements of the Challenge is that it engaged New Yorkers in this crucial discussion,” said David Whitlinger, Executive Director at the New York eHealth Collaborative. “The portal is about making a patient’s data freely accessible to them so they can manage their own healthcare. It’s about bringing power to the people of New York.”

The finalist companies demonstrated their products to panels of expert judges at an event in New York City on April 30th and another in Buffalo on May 2nd and the final winners were chosen. Judges included healthcare providers, hospital leadership, public advocates, entrepreneurs, public officials, IT experts, and industry leaders. The engaged audience encompassed a broad spectrum—patient advocates, technology specialists, representatives from RHIOs, small practice doctors, media, and members of the general public—and participated during question and answer sessions.

NYeC works closely with both the New York State Department of Health and the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The Patient Portal for New Yorkers builds upon the successful Blue Button initiative developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow veterans easy access to their healthcare data.

“The NYeC Design Challenge is proof that extraordinary things are possible when we leverage creative developers and designers and the preferences of end users,” said Rebecca Mitchell Coelius, MD, Medical Officer for Innovation at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, and a judge on the Design Challenge panel. “It’s exciting to see New York take the federal Blue Button initiative to the next level through its use of the patient portal. Well-designed and functional access to personal health data, and support for its export to other applications, is a huge step forward for patients in New York State and a massive opportunity for entrepreneurs.”

NYeC will now begin building the portal and coordinate its function on top of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY), a secure network for sharing clinical patient data across New York State via Regional Health Information Organizations. See the RFP here.

“As New York moves forward with innovative projects to better integrate health information and medical records into patient care, it is essential that patients have access to their healthcare records so they can be engaged in managing their health. This new portal will be user-friendly, secure, and easy to navigate, allowing New Yorkers to review and share their healthcare records and communicate with their healthcare providers. The Department values its partnership with NYeC, which is an essential part of the effort to accelerate health IT innovation,” said New York State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H.

On May 15th, NYeC will release a Request for Proposals to identify a company to work with on the portal development. Companies should visit nyehealth.org for RFP information.

The Patient Portal for New Yorkers will begin to be available to the public in 2014.

Key Features of the Portal Will Allow Patients To:

• Easily access their healthcare records whenever they want them. For example, to find out when they started taking a particular medication, when they had their last tetanus shot, or to view recent lab results.
• Share their records with providers—such as to get a second opinion on a diagnosis or share data from a specialist with their family doctor.
• Select and control who is allowed to have access to their medical history.
• Be more empowered in their healthcare management and better able to partner with doctors in their care.

 
About The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC): NYeC is a not-for-profit organization, working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers through health information technology (health IT). Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, NYeC receives funding from state and federal grants to serve as the focal point for health IT in the State of New York. NYeC works to develop policies and standards, to assist healthcare providers in making the shift to electronic health records, and to coordinate the creation of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY), a network to connect healthcare providers statewide. For more information about NYeC, visit www.nyehealth.org and @NYeHealth.

Albany Medical Center to utilize HIXNY for Direct Messaging services as part of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York

February 26, 2013 – The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and Healthcare Information Xchange of New York (HIXNY) today announced the ability to offer Direct Messaging between clinicians as part of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY). Direct Messaging allows clinicians the ability to securely and seamlessly exchange authenticated, encrypted clinical data with one another.

Albany Medical Center will become the first healthcare provider in New York State to utilize Direct Messaging. The service is being enabled through HIXNY, which serves the Capital District and Northern New York as the regional health information exchange (HIE).

“HIXNY is an important and necessary element in providing more coordinated care within our community. The ability of individual clinicians to selectively exchange patient information when sharing the responsibility for providing care to an individual is also crucial to providing high-quality, efficient care,” said Fred Venditti, MD, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Albany Medical Center and head of the Center’s physician faculty practice.

“The consultation process is an example of the need for this selective information exchange,” continued Dr. Venditti. “A primary care provider can send to a consultant the relevant clinical data to initiate a referral. The consultant can send the completed consultation note with the important clinical data created as part of the evaluation directly back to the PCP. Direct Messaging provides a next generation clinician-centric way to electronically exchange patient information by and ‘directly’ between clinicians’ EHRs.”

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Albany Medical Center and in turn the New York eHealth Collaborative on this critically important initiative for our region and state,” said HIXNY CEO Mark McKinney. “As one of the busiest trauma centers in Upstate New York, HIXNY already provides Albany Medical Center fast and potentially life-saving patient histories in the emergency room.”

Direct Messaging gives providers an additional tool to coordinate patient care. It complements other HIXNY services, such as enabling providers to access patients’ community health records in their EHRs and receiving discharge summaries, imaging and lab results. To date, HIXNY has powered the exchange of more than 1.4 million medical summary documents for 3,500 connected providers at 200 practice locations.

“HIXNY is putting current and actionable information into providers’ workflows, enhancing the care being provided to patients throughout the region,” McKinney said. “Direct Messaging is just another way for us to allow physicians to access this data.”

Developed according to the Office of the National Coordinator’s (ONC) Direct Project guidelines and the NYeC-led EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup (IWG) specifications, Direct Messaging integrates into providers’ EHRs and existing workflows, enhancing their ability to electronically coordinate and improve the delivery of care to patients. All EHR vendors to provide Direct Messaging solutions in New York will be required to go through the testing program that the IWG has formed with CCHIT (Certification Commission for Health Information Technology). This will ensure that Direct Messaging tools integrate into a provider’s workflow. The testing program will be open for vendors in Spring 2013.

“Today’s announcement is important for New Yorkers as it marks the deployment of simple, secure messaging that enhances connectivity and targeted care coordination among participants in HIXNY,” said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “This milestone allows providers to reach beyond the borders of existing regional exchanges, and even beyond state lines. The SHIN-NY Direct solution is a critical component for eligible providers to achieve Stage 2 meaningful use in New York while enabling a simple point-to-point exchange of patient health data.”

“With HIXNY being the first of the RHIO networks, and Albany Medical Center being the first major provider to enable Direct Messaging, this represents a significant step in reaching our state’s goal of full connectivity and brings us closer to further enabling and improving quality, coordinated care,” said Rachel Block, Deputy Commissioner for Health Information Technology Transformation in the New York State Department of Health.

The SHIN-NY is a secure network for sharing clinical patient data across New York State via Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs), such as HIXNY. The SHIN-NY is coordinated by NYeC in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health, and the state’s 11 RHIOs. In addition to Direct Messaging, the SHIN-NY’s other main capability is Patient Record Look-Up, which functions like a highly secure search engine, allowing healthcare providers to retrieve individual patient records from across the network after receiving consent from the patient.

“SHIN-NY’s Direct Messaging is now available and will greatly improve the ability of clinicians across the state to exchange records as they coordinate a patient’s care,” said David Whitlinger, Executive Director at NYeC. “In the coming months, we look forward to a majority of the electronic health record products that are used in New York becoming certified, with the SHIN-NY’s Direct Messaging service enabling widespread record exchange.”

About The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC): NYeC is a not-for-profit organization, working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers through health information technology (health IT). Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, NYeC receives funding from state and federal grants to serve as the focal point for health IT in the State of New York. NYeC works to develop policies and standards, to assist healthcare providers in making the shift to electronic health records, and to coordinate the creation of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY), a network to connect healthcare providers statewide. For more information about NYeC, visit www.nyehealth.org and @NYeHealth.

About Healthcare Information Xchange of New York (HIXNY): HIXNY (“hix-knee”), the Healthcare Information Xchange of New York, is a not-for-profit collaborative of health plans, hospitals, physician practices, and other healthcare entities working together to enable secure access and electronic exchange of medical information to coordinate quality care, improve patient safety and reduce healthcare costs. HIXNY operates the health information exchange for a 16 county region encompassing the Capital District and Northern New York and is a New York State Department of Health designated regional health information organization. To learn more about HIXNY, visit www.hixny.org, www.facebook.com/HIXNY or @HIXNY.

About Albany Medical Center: Albany Medical Center, northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center, is one of the largest private employers in the Capital Region. It incorporates the 651-bed Albany Medical Center Hospital, which offers the widest range of medical and surgical services in the region, and the Albany Medical College, which trains the next generation of doctors, scientists and other healthcare professionals, and which also includes a biomedical research enterprise and the region’s largest physicians practice with 350 doctors. Albany Medical Center works with dozens of community partners to improve the region’s health and quality of life. For more information: www.amc.edu or www.facebook.com/albanymedicalcenter

About the EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup : The EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup is a New York eHealth Collaborative-led coalition of 19 States (representing 52% of the U.S. population), 20 electronic health record (EHR) vendors, and 22 health information exchange (HIE vendors). The workgroup was launched in February 2011 to leverage existing standards and develop consistent implementation guides for interoperability between HIE software platforms, and the applications that interface with them. For more information about the Workgroup, visit www.interopwg.org.

A Network Ripe for Innovation

New York has recently made incredible progress building infrastructure on top of meaningful use, and in getting physicians and other healthcare providers connected to the SHIN-NY. Today, we have a mass of data available through this network that was never available before, employing policies of the state to protect privacy, security, and trust. It’s ripe for new innovative services to tap into it.

In addition to giving providers the life-saving information they need to care for their patients, it is important that we also give patients access to their own healthcare data. Coupled with the need for consent management and access audit reporting, the development of a statewide patient portal is a necessary step towards empowering patients and allowing them to take an active role in managing their health. Read More

NYeC Partners with Health 2.0 to Launch Patient Portal for New Yorkers Design Challenge

Challenge calls designers and developers to submit prototypes for a New York State online patient portal for health records – to be judged via public voting. Deadline for submission is April 11th.

January 15, 2013 (New York, NY) – The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), in partnership with the leading health technology catalyst, Health 2.0, invites designers and developers to participate in the Patient Portal for New Yorkers Design Challenge with $25,000 in prizes. Starting today, designers and developers can submit prototypes for a statewide patient portal for New Yorkers —a website for patients to access their medical records online. The top portal interface designs will be chosen and voted upon by New Yorkers after the April 11th deadline.

Developers will have 11 weeks to work on and then submit a design for the Patient Portal Challenge. To guarantee patient privacy during the design challenge, developers and designers will be given a test patient data set to build their applications. They will not have access to actual health records. Once all of the submissions are received on April 11th, the New York public will be invited to vote on their favorite designs from April 11-21. The designs with the strongest responses will be invited to present their project at two different demo days—one in New York City in April and another at a location upstate in early May. A winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

After the Challenge, NYeC will work with a vendor to build the portal and run it on behalf of the state of New York via its health information exchange network.

“This is a chance for developers and designers to advance healthcare for all 20 million New Yorkers. A portal of this size and scope has never before existed,” said David Whitlinger, Executive Director of NYeC. “Through our Design Challenge, we hope to inspire applicants to develop truly creative and user-friendly applications. We look forward to seeing all submissions, and eventually building this portal so patients throughout the state have full access to their health records.”

The patient portal mock-ups are required to include features that will allow patients to log on with a username and password to see their health records online safely and securely. Once logged in, patients will see a full layout of their health records, and also have access to a list of medical professionals, such as their family doctor, who have accessed their health records. The Patient Portal for New Yorkers will also provide an extensive overview of patient privacy rights, and address any privacy concerns a patient might have about Electronic Medical Records and Health IT in general.

“Health 2.0 is excited to be partnering with NYeC on this innovative challenge to design the first statewide patient portal for New York,” said Jean-Luc Neptune, Senior Vice President of Health 2.0. “The winners will not only make a tremendous contribution to the development of a patient portal that reaches nearly 20 million people, but also gain significant exposure and recognition for their achievement through participation in the challenge.”

The patient portal also compliments the information available through the Blue Button, a knowledge tool being coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that helps users download their personal health information. NYeC has proudly taken HHS’ “Blue Button Pledge” and supports the use of the Blue Button to empower “individuals to be partners in their health through health IT” in an effort to build on the Blue Button’s success in improving care coordination for veterans by giving them easy access to their health data.

“We are excited about the steps that NYeC is taking to launch the patient portal and support their commitment to helping make patients’ information available to them,” said Lygeia Ricciardi, Director of the Consumer eHealth Office at HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. “Providing patients and consumers with access to their own healthcare records is what the Blue Button pledge is all about.”

For more information on the Patient Portal for New Yorkers Design Challenge, and to submit a prototype by April 11th, please visit http://www.health2con.com/devchallenge/new-york-state-patient-portal-challenge/.

About The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC): NYeC is a not-for-profit organization, working to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers through health information technology (health IT). Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, NYeC receives funding from state and federal grants to serve as the focal point for health IT in the State of New York. NYeC works to develop policies and standards, to assist healthcare providers in making the shift to electronic health records, and to coordinate the creation of a network to connect healthcare providers statewide. For more information about NYeC, visit www.nyehealth.org and @NYeHealth on Twitter.

About Health 2.0: The conference. The media network. The Innovation Community. The Health 2.0 Conference is the leading showcase of cutting-edge technologies in health care, including Online Communities, Search and lightweight Tools for consumers to manage their health and connect to providers online. The Health 2.0 Developer Challenge is a series of prize competitions promoting health technology innovation. Health 2.0 also has its own media channels, Health 2.0 News and Health 2.0 TV; its own market intelligence service, Health 2.0 Advisors; and also sponsors the Health 2.0 Accelerator industry consortium. Health 2.0 was founded by Indu Subaiya & Matthew Holt in 2007 and is now a community of hundreds of organizations and thousands of innovators. For more information, visit www.health2con.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Congressman Higgins Endorses EHRs

New York State Congressman Brian Higgins recently addressed the benefits of using EHRs, discussing their effectiveness during natural disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy, and also in general, to improve the quality of patient care.

Recovering from Hurricane Sandy

When Hurricane Sandy tore through the northeast in the last days of October it affected almost everyone in its path, including the staff of NYeC. Our offices lost electricity for a week after the storm, and work had to continue remotely. Our engineering team, along with the other teams at NYeC, kept the Statewide Health Information Network running, while assisting partner hospitals and other facilities as needed throughout the storm and its aftermath.

One of the toughest hurdles for health IT start-ups is getting in front of customers. Doctors are reluctant to pay, and sales cycles at hospitals can take months. Entrepreneurs often inspired by a negative personal experience, and moved to fix the problem, find later that their product doesn’t fit the hospital’s “workflow,” or offers no incentive for doctors to adopt it. The NYDHA helps health IT entrepreneurs address those issues. Read the full article here.

Source: Forbes.com

New York Digital Health Accelerator Reveals Inaugural Class

On October 15 the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and the Partnership for New York City Fund (Partnership Fund) revealed the inaugural class of the New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA), a program that will make New York a hub for the emerging digital health technology industry. The partnership is the largest-funded health IT accelerator program in the United States, and the first to provide access to senior-level healthcare providers who are committed to the success of the eight growth-stage companies selected.

New York, NY – Southern Tier HealthLink NY (STHL) announces its new partnership with the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and its Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY) Service Platform, which aims to create the infrastructure to connect health information across New York State. This will make a truly meaningful difference for patients in this rural community, who seek care from larger, specialized medical centers.

STHL, which covers the Broome, Chenango, Tioga, Delaware and Otsego counties in upstate New York, brings its extensive network of providers from its health information exchange to the SHIN-NY, along with a functioning patient portal serving 25,000 area patients. STHL is currently the top performing RHIO in the state, in terms of the highest number of transactions between providers and hospitals occurring over its network. STHL has also demonstrated great ability to implement innovative, patient-centered enhancements to their platform and will be sharing these strengths with other RHIOs as part of this partnership.

The STHL agreement brings the SHIN-NY partnership up to six RHIOs: BHIX (Brooklyn Health Information Exchange), eHealth Network of Long Island, Healthix, Interboro RHIO, and THINC (Taconic Health Information Network and Community), which serves the Hudson Valley Region, are the five other partners.

“Our reasons for joining the SHIN-NY are simple: We can consolidate costs and make better use of our grant dollars; we can collaborate more fully to build on strong ideas and execution; and—most importantly—this partnership allows us to reach more providers,” explained STHL Executive Director Christina Galanis. “In short, we can offer more at a lower cost to our community.”

STHL performed a crucial role in its region last year, when the devastating aftermath of Tropical Storm Lee decimated many of the region’s small towns. For days afterward, evacuated families still waited in shelters, unable to return to their homes. Many of those displaced required medical treatment. STHL personnel joined healthcare organizations from around the region to provide emergency access to electronic health records through the STHL Health Information Exchange (HIE). At one point in the Binghamton University Events Center, as many as 1,700 sought shelter, some of those with disabilities, many elderly, and dozens with serious medical conditions.

As a result of their efforts during this regional emergency, The Broome County Legislature issued a Proclamation that March 15, 2012 be Southern Tier HealthLink Appreciation Day.

“STHL is particularly advanced in patient engagement, such as its pioneering use of social media and its patient portal. We are looking to build on those successes and take similar programs statewide,” said NYeC Executive Director David Whitlinger. “STHL has long been a strong partner with NYeC and a valued collaborator.”

About The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC): NYeC is a not-for-profit organization, working to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers through health information technology (health IT). Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, NYeC receives funding from state and federal grants to serve as the focal point for health IT in the State of New York. NYeC works to develop policies and standards, to assist healthcare providers in making the shift to electronic health records, and to coordinate the creation of a network to connect healthcare providers statewide. The goal of NYeC is that no patient, wherever they may need treatment within the State of New York, is ever without fast, secure, accurate, and accessible information. For more information about NYeC, visit www.nyehealth.org

About the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY): The SHIN-NY (pronounced “shiny”) is coordinated by the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and functions similarly to a public utility, making electronic health records secure and accessible to healthcare providers statewide while improving patient care and lowering costs. SHIN-NY is a network of information transmitted between users. Like the internet, as more users connect, it grows, evolves, and becomes more secure, efficient, and easy to use. As an increasing number of private practices, nursing homes, clinics and hospitals begin to digitize their records, they have the option to connect to information hubs in their region of the state. These Regional Health Information Organizations collect health record data from the healthcare providers in their area and, with patient consent, allow this information to be shared securely with other providers in the region. The SHIN-NY will connect these regional hubs to create a private and secure network spanning the entire State of New York. To see a video about how the SHIN-NY is transforming health information exchange in New York State visit http://nyehealth.org/what-we-do/statewide-network/.

About Southern Tier HealthLink: Southern Tier HealthLink NY (STHL) was established with leadership and support from United Health Services, Lourdes Hospital and other stakeholders in 2005. STHL is a non-profit New York Regional Health Information Organization (NY RHIO) designed as a partnership which brings together healthcare providers and consumers in Central New York with technology that will improve health care quality, access, and safety while reducing costs. To learn more visit www.sthlny.com.

These charts and tables provide a detailed look at a variety of data in order to provide more a complete picture of health IT across New York State and the nation.

Evening Event is a Highlight of NYeC’s 2012 Digital Health Conference

New York, NY – Alexandra Cohen’s father passed away because of healthcare that was uncoordinated. Not all of his medical records were kept electronically and so were not fully shared between his specialists. Because of this, Alie left a successful career at Microsoft to join the cause of updating health information technology and now works at the non-profit New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC). Alie’s story is just one of the many reasons that complete and accessible electronic health records are critical, and one of the important stories that will be told at the NYeC gala and awards ceremony next month. Visit nyecgala.org for more information.

In the year since the first NYeC gala, there have been revolutionary advancements in health IT throughout New York and across the nation. On Monday, October 15th, five champions of health IT will be highlighted at the event, which will be hosted by the dynamic Maria Bartiromo, anchor of CNBC’s “Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo.”

•  General Electric CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt’s work in standardizing health technology creates a clear path for products being developed across the globe, helping software and other systems work together and making electronic health records accessible from a doctor’s office, to a specialist’s iPad, to a school nurse’s computer.

 

•  IBM Chairman Samuel J. Palmisano spearheaded a vision of connected, intelligent healthcare in which the patient is the initial point of design for health systems. Pioneering new models of care and wellness, delivering new technologies that can monitor and analyze health information in real-time, and ushering in a new era of healthcare with advanced computing technology, IBM technology and research helps address some of the most pressing healthcare problems.

 

•  The Elmwood Health Center of Buffalo debuted its cutting-edge telemonitoring program this year to help patients with chronic disease keep on track with their care programs. This work was done in partnership with HEALTHeLINK, and the WNY Beacon Program.

 

•  New York Health IT practice champion, Dr. Sumir Sahgal, of the Bronx, created a portable health IT system that helps him treat the chronically ill and homebound in his borough.

 

•  The pioneering work of Louise West, of Saratoga Springs led to her practice being among the first in New York to achieve the federal “Meaningful Use” health IT designation.

 
“This is an amazing era for Health IT. We have many milestones to celebrate. This year’s awardees are doing truly meaningful work and it’s an honor to recognize that. We want to champion and learn from the best,” says David Whitlinger, Executive Director of NYeC.

This year’s Gala is part of NYeC’s 2012 Digital Health Conference, held October 15th-16th in New York City. The conference brings together a diverse group of professionals from the healthcare, health IT and other related fields, for two days of lively intellectual exchange. For more information about the Conference and the Gala, and for additional sponsorship opportunities, please visit digitalhealthconference.com.

2012 Gala Details
The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) will host their 2nd annual Gala & Awards Ceremony on Monday, October 15th, to support and honor health IT innovators whose outstanding accomplishments have served to move healthcare forward throughout New York State and beyond. The event will be held on the Manhattan waterfront and include culinary excellence by Abigail Kirsch, live music, good company and insightful conversation. The event is hosted by the NYeC Board of Directors.

Honorees and Award Winners
The 2012 NYeC Gala will honor the Career Achievements in the Advancement of Health IT of General Electric’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey R. Immelt and IBM’s Chairman of the Board, Samuel J. Palmisano, both of whom have shown a long-standing commitment to the advancement of healthcare technology. Immelt’s work with the standardization and interoperability of health systems, improvement of EHRs and mobile healthcare applications, and leadership within GE has revolutionized the industry. Under Palmisano’s leadership, IBM is redefining value in healthcare — through health information exchanges, health analytics and especially IBM Watson for Healthcare, a new kind of cognitive computing system that uses natural language capabilities, hypothesis generation and evidence-based learning to support medical professionals in making faster, better decisions on patient diagnosis and treatment.

The 2012 New York Health IT Visionary award is presented to those whose use of technology measurably improves the lives of its community members through care coordination. This year, NYeC is proud to honor the Elmwood Health Center, of Buffalo, for their work with HEALTHeLINK, and numerous accomplishments as part of the WNY Beacon Program. NYeC will also present the New York Health IT Practice Champion award to Dr. Sumir Sahgal, of the Bronx, and Louise West, of Saratoga Springs, for their pioneering contributions to advancing healthcare through technology, and use of Health IT in their respective areas of practice.

Platinum Benefactors of the Gala include GE Healthcare and NewYork-Presbyterian; Gold Patrons are Aetna, Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), Maimonides Medical Center, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, Montefiore Medical Center, and North Shore-LIJ Health System; and Silver Supporters include NYU Langone Medical Center and Orchestrate Healthcare. Proceeds will benefit the effort to improve patient care and lower costs, through technology-enabled healthcare systems.

Statewide Network Selects MedAllies as “Direct Solution” Provider

NYeC has chosen MedAllies to operate the “Direct Solution” on the SHIN-NY. Similar to a highly secure email, Direct allows healthcare providers to seamlessly send data from one provider directly to another who is caring for the same patient. MedAllies Direct Solutions has been built according to specifications developed by the nationwide EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup.

NEW YORK, NY –  It’s National Health IT Week and one shining example of New York’s 2012 achievements occurred this past June, when Healthix, Inc., and its long-time partner North Shore-LIJ Health System, worked together to improve the coordination of care for mothers with high-risk pregnancies. Now, clinical data about both mother and baby is automatically transmitted electronically between physician offices, fetal imaging centers, and hospitals—allowing seamless care to be delivered to both mother and baby prior to, during, and after delivery.

This electronic interoperability in support of clinical care is a great demonstration of both the capabilities of Healthix, Inc., one of the largest Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO) in the United States, and the patient-centered focus of North Shore-LIJ.

Also in time for Health IT week, Healthix, Inc. announces its new partnership with the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and its Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHINY) Service Platform, which aims to create one solid infrastructure underpinning health information exchange for New York State.

Healthix, Inc. brings its membership of over 165 facilities, seven million individual patients, and 5,000 clinicians in the downstate New York area to the SHINY project, which currently has four other RHIO partnerships: BHIX (Brooklyn Health Information Exchange), eHealth Network of Long Island, Interboro RHIO, and THINC (Taconic Health Information Network and Community), which serves the Hudson Valley Region.

“The case study between Healthix, Inc. and North Shore-LIJ is the very thing that inspires us at the New York eHealth Collaborative,” said David Whitlinger, Executive Director of NYeC. “When we get to see first-hand the amazing and transparent work that our colleagues in the industry are doing to improve healthcare through technology, we are thrilled and encouraged to keep moving forward until no patient, wherever they may need treatment within the State of New York, is ever without fast, secure, accurate, and accessible information. Healthix, Inc. is a terrific new partner.”

The collaboration between Healthix, Inc. and SHINY is a monumental step forward in making electronic health records secure and accessible to healthcare providers statewide while improving patient care and lowering costs.

“Healthix is committed to working with all of its members to develop innovative and effective ways to improve clinical outcomes and reduce cost, by providing actionable data within the clinician’s regular workflow,” said Tom Check, Interim President and CEO of Healthix, Inc. “The recent joint initiative with North Shore-LIJ is an excellent example. Healthix’s new relationship with NYeC will provide still more opportunities to leverage the SHINY to benefit patients and clinicians.”

“North Shore-LIJ is proud of the joint success we’ve shared, and looks forward to continued collaborations with Healthix and the SHINY to promote coordinated care delivery,” said Michael Oppenheim, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer of North Shore-LIJ.

About The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC): NYeC is a not-for-profit organization, working to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers through health information technology (health IT). Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, NYeC receives funding from state and federal grants to serve as the focal point for health IT in the State of New York. NYeC works to develop policies and standards, to assist healthcare providers in making the shift to electronic health records, and to coordinate the creation of a network to connect healthcare providers statewide. The goal of NYeC is that no patient, wherever they may need treatment within the State of New York, is ever without fast, secure, accurate, and accessible information.

About the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHINY): The SHINY (pronounced “shiny”) is coordinated by the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and functions similarly to a public utility, making electronic health records secure and accessible to healthcare providers statewide while improving patient care and lowering costs. SHINY is a network of information transmitted between users. Like the internet, as more users connect, it grows, evolves, and becomes more secure, efficient, and easy to use. As an increasing number of private practices, nursing homes, clinics and hospitals begin to digitize their records, they have the option to connect to information hubs in their region of the state. These Regional Health Information Organizations collect health record data from the healthcare providers in their area and, with patient consent, allow this information to be shared securely with other providers in the region. The SHINY will connect these regional hubs to create a private and secure network spanning the entire State of New York. To see a video about how the SHINY is transforming health information exchange in New York State visit http://nyehealth.org/what-we-do/statewide-network/.

About Healthix: Healthix, Inc.™ is the premier Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) for downstate New York, formed by the recent merger of LIPIX, Inc. and NYCLIX, Inc., which brought together a wealth of thought leadership, members, partners, and technology to form one of the largest independent RHIOs in the United States. Healthix, Inc. ™ maintains clinical records of over 7.2 million individual patients, and connects nearly 5,000 clinicians at 165 facilities in the downstate New York area and is growing every day. Healthix, Inc.’s™ current membership includes 49 hospitals, 24 long-term care facilities, 5 home care agencies, and 87 physician practices and ambulatory sites. Healthix, Inc. ™ is a leader in the transformation of healthcare in New York.

About North-Shore LIJ: The nation’s third-largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, North Shore-LIJ delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a visionary approach to medical education, highlighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. North Shore-LIJ cares for people at every stage of life at 16 hospitals, long-term care facilities, and more than 270 ambulatory care centers throughout the region. North Shore-LIJ’s owned hospitals and long-term care facilities house more than 6,000 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses, and have affiliations with more than 9,400 physicians. With a workforce of more than 44,000, North Shore-LIJ is the largest employer on Long Island and the third-largest private employer in New York City. For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.

A Moment In Time: July 19th-20th

On July 19th, a group of individuals gathered in a large, packed conference room at the Manhattan offices of the New York City Investment Fund. The occasion was the final selection of companies for the NY Digital Health Accelerator—the first of a momentous two-day experience.

Interboro RHIO and NYCHHC Join the Statewide Health Information Network of NY

The Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY) today announces a partnership with New York City’s Interboro Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO).  This alliance is the next step in unifying New York State’s existing regional health records exchanges into a strong statewide network. Read More

The NYeC Blog

2012 Digital Health Conference Early Bird Rates Expire Next Week!

Join a RHIO or Else

Given the immediate nature of blogging, we have the ability to be timely in discussing different topics as they arise. So, today, I’ll interrupt the thread that was started last week, relating to Health Homes and the Digital Health Accelerator, to jump onto something very topical.

Welcome to our blog!

Greetings, salutations and welcome to our blog – a feature of our new NYeC website and a communication tool that I’ve been looking forward to for several months now!

As many of you know, the incredibly talented and dedicated NYeC team has been hard at work on a number of industry leading efforts.

The Application Programming Interface (API) will allow developers to build new healthcare technology applications on top of the SHIN-NY. NYeC is working to standardize this platform, and to develop requirements which will allow companies to build products that conform to state policies.

Interoperability Workgroup Announces Compliance Testing Specifications, Releases RFP

Group now includes 31 vendors and 14 states, representing 45% of US population.

Learn more about the EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup

New York, NY- The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) Regional Extension Center (REC) has become the first and currently only REC in the nation to certify over 1,000 providers for the federally defined Meaningful Use, which qualifies them for reimbursements.

“It’s a great feeling to have helped so many providers achieve real results from using electronic medical records, which is what the term ‘Meaningful Use’ is all about,” said Paul Wilder, Director of the NYeC REC. “The business partnerships we’ve developed with the local organizations around the state, including many Regional Health Information Organizations, have been an important part of our success as a REC. New York State has made some pioneering investments in health IT and we’ve been able to build upon that.”

The federal REC program provides educational and support services to help mainly primary care providers and small practices—for whom the transition can be most challenging—adopt health IT. Meaningful Use includes electronically keeping records of patients’ demographics, electronic prescribing, and providing patients with an electronic copy of their health information.

The providers at Myrtle Street OB-GYN, a bustling practice in Saratoga Springs, NY, were among the first in the state to join the REC and qualify for Meaningful Use.
“Myrtle Street OB-GYN was an early adopter of electronic health records because we recognized back in the spring of 2006 that not only would it improve the care we provide our patients, it creates measurable efficiencies that allow us to run a tighter business. Achieving Meaningful Use is just the next step for us in continuing to embrace health technology,” said Practice Administrator Louise West.

In New Hartford, NY, Dr. Samuel K. Gooldy, Chief of Family Practice at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, also runs a highly-wired primary care practice. His son Eric manages the practice’s IT needs. “In achieving Meaningful Use we have shown that we are tracking and documenting our patients’ progress in real time. This allows us to provide the best care we can for each individual patient,” Dr. Gooldy said.

New York Digital Health Accelerator Receives 250 Applications

www.digitalhealthaccelerator.com

New York State Announces Statewide Network for Healthcare Records
New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), along with the New York State Department of Health, announced that three Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) and three health information exchange (HIE) vendors would participate in the Statewide Health Information Network of New York, or “SHINY,” which will function similarly to a public utility.

NYS Announces Statewide Network for Healthcare Records

NYeC and the NYS DOH announced that three Regional Health Information Organizations (BHIX, e-Health Network of Long Island, and THINC) and three health information exchange vendors (HealthUnity, IBM, and InterSystems) will participate in the Statewide Health Information Network of New York , or “SHINY,” which will function similarly to a public utility.

New York, NY – On June 6, 2012 the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), along with the New York State Department of Health, announce that three Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) and three health information exchange (HIE) vendors will participate in the Statewide Health Information Network of New York, or “SHINY,” which will function similarly to a public utility.

The RHIOs (Brooklyn Health Information Exchange (BHIX), e-Health Network of Long Island, and THINC) and HIE vendors (HealthUnity, IBM, and InterSystems) have each formally joined forces with NYeC to facilitate HIE across New York’s downstate region—comprised of New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley and with a combined population of 13 million.

This collaboration represents a significant step in that it formalizes the creation of a single, unified statewide network for healthcare records. The SHINY is coordinated by NYeC and will unify existing state HIE initiatives, such as within hospital systems and local RHIOs, making electronic health records secure and accessible to healthcare providers statewide—improving patient care and lowering costs.

“New York has long been a leader in health IT investment and implementation,” said New York State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H. “Today’s announcement is the next step in the creation of a robust 21st century health care system that will better serve the people of New York. I applaud the hard work in regions around the State that has made these critical partnerships possible.”

“A health information network is relevant to all of us,” said David Whitlinger, Executive Director of NYeC. “If we ever need to visit the ER, anytime we get an MRI or have lab work done and need to make sure our primary care doctor gets the results—our records must reach whoever is treating us as quickly as possible.”

Brooklyn Health Information Exchange, e-Health Network of Long Island, and THINC, each pioneers of HIE in their regions, have joined the SHINY, connecting their databases and infrastructure to improve the care of the patients they serve and promote statewide health.

HealthUnity, IBM, and InterSystems have also entered into strategic contracts with NYeC to leverage their product suites towards the further development of the SHINY and have agreed to standardization of software to permit safe and efficient interoperability, along with adherence to New York Statewide Policy Guidance.

SHINY’s Capabilities: Patients get attention, not paperwork

The secure communication permitted by the SHINY will reduce time and resources currently wasted gathering disparate medical histories from multiple providers. This will be of particular benefit to patients with chronic conditions, who visit a variety of providers and treatment facilities, and are in dire need of more effectively coordinated care. This will also reduce the number of duplicate tests ordered.

The network will serve to prevent harmful drug interactions and highlight risks, allowing providers in emergency situations access to life-saving information, such as a patient’s allergy and medication history. Doctors who spend less time trying to retrieve data will have more time to discuss treatment options and recovery plans with their patients.

As additional RHIOs connect to the SHINY, the network will have greater reach, incorporating more secure clinical information from across the state.

The initial capability of the SHINY will be that of Patient Record Look Up, a function similar to a highly secure search engine, which allows providers to search across databases within the SHINY network to find health records relevant to their patient.

The next function the SHINY will deploy is Direct Exchange, which works like email, where providers can query each other while collaborating on patient care.

“Many of the downstate region’s 13 million people commute daily across regional boundaries. They also seek healthcare across those boundaries, so it’s a logical place for the SHINY to focus first,” explained NYeC Executive Director David Whitlinger.

“We always knew what we built would need to be flexible and able to scale, so BHIX created  a robust infrastructure that the SHINY can now use as the backbone for large-scale applications such as the state’s Medicaid redesign efforts,” said BHIX Executive Director Irene Koch, Esq. “It just makes sense for everyone to come together now to create efficiencies and expand connectivity.“

“e-Health Network of Long Island is extremely excited about the collaborative approach to patients’ care,” said Denise Reilly, Executive Director of e-Health Network of Long Island. “We serve 5 hospitals and 13 nursing homes, and this moves our patient care to a new level. When you make the patient the focus, there is no conflict: It’s about the patient; and the patient will benefit.”

“THINC is hugely supportive of the SHINY and what it means for our providers and patients in the Hudson Valley. THINC has been running an HIE since 2001, and we know HIEs enhance coordination and continuity of care, improving quality and helping control costs. We are thrilled to be joining like-minded organizations across the state to advance these goals,” said Susan Stuard, Executive Director of THINC. “NYeC should be commended, not only for coordinating this effort, but also for recognizing that we’re not dealing with technology for its own sake. This is about supporting patient care. The SHINY means that more providers will have the medical information they need when they need it.”

“HealthUnity is honored to be at the forefront of this tremendous endeavor and to be a NYeC vendor of choice.  We will be providing our fully integrated SaaS-based software suite that addresses NYeC’s HIE, Intelligent Analytics, XCA, and XCPD needs,” said Prem Urali, HealthUnity’s CEO.

“The work of NYeC is a model for the rest of the nation,” said Dr. Paul Grundy, Director of Healthcare Transformation, IBM.  “With a master view of the patient and provider allowing the linking of records, care can be more effectively coordinated. This is another example of how New York State is redefining value and success in healthcare and extending the health information technology already in place to truly drive healthcare transformation.”

“InterSystems is very pleased to provide the HIE backbone technology for many of the RHIOs that will be served through NYeC,” said Paul Grabscheid, InterSystems Vice President of Strategic Planning. “We are totally committed to taking connected care to the higher, more inclusive level that is essential to support optimal care delivery throughout the State of New York.  To reach this goal, we need to move beyond low-level data exchange and implement strategic platforms with the intelligent aggregation and advanced analytics needed to improve individual and population health.”

For more information, visit http://www.nyehealth.org/what-we-do/statewide-network.

The New York Digital Health Accelerator is a program run by New York eHealth Collaborative and the New York City Investment Fund for early- and growth-stage digital health companies to develop cutting edge technology products in care coordination, patient engagement, analytics and message alerts for healthcare providers.

About NYeC Fact Sheet

NYeC REC Quick Facts

Hosted by the NYeC’s board of directors, the Gala and Award Ceremony took place at Chelsea Piers on December 1st. It was an elegant evening of cocktails and dining to celebrate the advancements and accomplishments in health IT throughout New York State.

Digital Health Conference 2012

The 2012 NYeC Digital Health Conference brings together a diverse group of professionals from across and beyond the health IT field, for two days of lively intellectual exchange.

New York, NY – The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) today announced that it will honor Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE, and Samuel Palmisano, Chairman of the Board at IBM, for their work advancing the cause of healthcare through technology at its 2012 Gala & Awards Ceremony, October 15th in New York City. The gala is held during NYeC’s annual Digital Health Conference. Maria Bartiromo, business news broadcast journalist and anchor of CNBC’s “Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo,” will emcee. 

Hosted by the NYeC Board of Directors, the 2012 Gala & Awards Ceremony serves to recognize and honor achievement and innovation in the field of health information technology. Held at beautiful Pier 60, on Manhattan’s West Side, the event convenes healthcare and technology industry leadership from across the state and nation.

“Mr. Immelt and Mr. Palmisano are pioneers who have changed the face of healthcare. Their dedication to advancing health IT has rapidly advanced innovation and collaboration within the industry and across the globe,” said Herbert Pardes, MD, Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, New York-Presbyterian Hospital and New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, as well as a member of the NYeC Board of Directors. “We are delighted to have this opportunity to acknowledge their tremendous vision and leadership and thrilled Maria Bartiromo will help us do so.”

Proceeds from the gala benefit technology-enabled healthcare initiatives, which aim to improve care and lower cost for all New Yorkers. To learn more about the gala, including about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.nyecgala.org.

About NYeC

The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC, pronounced “Nice”) is a not-for-profit organization, working to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers through health information technology (health IT).

Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, in partnership with the New York State Department of Health, NYeC receives funding from state and federal grants to serve as the focal point for health IT in the State of New York. NYeC works to develop policies and standards, to assist healthcare providers in making the shift to electronic health records, and to coordinate the creation of a network to connect healthcare providers statewide. The goal of NYeC is that no patient, wherever they may need treatment within the State of New York, is ever without fast, secure, accurate, and accessible information.

NYeC Forms HIE Policy Committee to Protect Personal Data While Advancing Health IT Initiatives

New York-Presbyterian Receives 2011 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award, Electronic Laboratory Orders Used
Health Homes Challenges and Health IT Solutions Assessed at March Meeting
2012 Digital Health Conference Call for Speakers Closed
David Whitlinger to Participate in TEDMED’s Great Challenges Program

Medicaid, DOH, RHIOs, Health Home participants, Health Plans, and NYeC discuss Health IT requirements of key Health Home program challenges

New York, NY – Stakeholders in the New York healthcare community came together today to discuss how to tackle various challenges and issues using health information technology (health IT) in the state’s new “Health Home” program, an initiative designed to make the state’s treatment of Medicaid patients more coordinated and efficient.

The meeting was hosted by the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), the organization charged with promoting the implementation and adoption of health IT in the state. NYeC invited the New York State Dept. of Health (DOH), New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH), regional health information organizations (RHIOs), providers participating in the Health Home program, and others to learn more about health IT resources and identify challenges and potential solutions to those challenges in implementing the Health Home program.

The Health Home initiative was created under the recommendation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team as a way to treat patients with multiple chronic illnesses more cost effectively and efficiently. Qualifying Medicaid patients are assigned to a healthcare facility that coordinates their care across multidisciplinary teams. The goal of the Health Home program is to develop and administer a consistent plan to improve care coordination and service integration. Medicaid estimates that there are approximately 700,000 Medicaid beneficiaries statewide who would be eligible to be enrolled in a Health Home.

Health IT is a critical part of making the system work, allowing providers to communicate with various parties involved in care management, track progress and results, etc. At today’s meeting, leaders from NYeC and the DOH coordinated conversation about how to leverage IT solutions for Health Home implementation and how NYeC and the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHINY) can help.

Greg Allen, Director of the Division of Financial Planning and Policy at the NYS DOH, explained to the audience that a large percentage of the most at-risk Medicaid patients receive behavioral health and substance abuse care along with treatment for other medical issues. This care is often uncoordinated.

“We are trying to rebuild care management for some of our sickest patients. We need to wire the crevasse,” Allen stated.  “But we need a new set of tools, or we just create new gaps.”

“The tools to bridge the gaps that we are starting to see with Health Homes-the tools for a managed care environment-don’t exist,” agreed David Whitlinger, NYeC’s Executive Director, speaking to the audience. “This is an opportunity to catalyze the health IT industry to build those tools for us. We want to learn about the requirements from you and embed them in the SHINY so developers start building products that meet your needs.”

Ten States and 26 Vendors Unify to Standardize Health Data Interoperability

NYeC Announces Call For Speakers for the 2012 Digital Health Conference
NYeC Helps with Health Homes
Provider Spotlight: Small Staff, Big Results