These are challenging and uncertain times as we deal with this pandemic. Every day I am humbled by the extraordinary work being done on the frontlines in every part of the healthcare sector: our hospitals, our nursing homes, our doctors and nurses, our healthcare and home care workers, EMS, pharmacies, and so many more. They are our heroes! Our state and local public health experts are working non-stop and our human services networks are doing everything they can to support our communities. We are in this together and all doing our part.
The health and well-being of every single New Yorker is of the utmost importance to us, and we are doing everything we can to slow the spread of this virus and respond to the needs of our healthcare system. We are continuously finding ways to help. Here are some of the ways the SHIN-NY is being leveraged to support stakeholders during this emergency, our regional health information exchanges, or Qualified Entities (QEs), are:
- reporting timely and critical COVID-related clinical data to state and local health departments to assist with the surveillance and management of the pandemic
- alerting providers in real-time of all COVID-19 test results for patients with whom they have treating relationships so they have the most up-to-date information to act upon
- ensuring that providers of telehealth visits have access to needed clinical information for patients they are seeing virtually
- supporting federally operated temporary hospital sites that need access to patient health data via QE clinical viewers to help treat patients
Additionally, the DOH has made a variety of emergency temporary policy changes to support the effective and efficient use of the SHIN-NY, including revisions to consent when using telehealth and easing requirements for federal temporary hospital sites.
At NYeC, we have been busy supporting all of the above efforts and have also helped by providing supplemental contact information for COVID-positive patients to state public health officials to support their outreach, treatment, and containment.
The SHIN-NY has a public mission — NYeC and our QE partners are honored to be a part of the solution and are working diligently to ensure that the SHIN-NY and the exchange of health information remains uninterrupted during this perilous period.
Please be safe, be well, and we will get through this together.
Take care,
Valerie Grey
Executive Director
New York eHealth Collaborative