PA eHealth Partnership Authority
Pennsylvania’s Journey for
Health Information Exchange
Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health
and Substance Abuse Services
Planning Council
eHIE* in PA: Quick Review
Act 121 of 2012, the PA eHealth Information Technology Act:
•
Unanimous, bipartisan
support, signed by Gov. Corbett
• Established the Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Authority and
its Board of Directors
• Assumed work of Pennsylvania eHealth Collaborative (started
summer 2011)
• Emphasis on stakeholder-driven public-private partnership
eHIE in PA: Quick Review
Act 121 directs the Authority to:
• Develop/establish/maintain statewide electronic health information
exchange (eHIE) (via the Pennsylvania Patient & Provider Network, or
P3N)
• Develop/maintain directory of healthcare provider contact info
• Develop/adopt interoperability standards
• Develop/maintain statewide consent (opt-out/opt-back-in) registry
• Develop certification requirements for P3N-connected entities
• Establish/collect fees to sustain Authority services
• Establish advisory groups
• Develop/conduct public information programs
• Annual Report to Governor/Legislature
eHIE: Why?
Facts to think about:
• USA ranks near top worldwide for per capita
healthcare spending
• USA ranks near the bottom for healthcare outcomes
• eHIE is a key part of the solution to this paradox of
eHIE: Why?
Facts to think about:
• eHIE implementation can:
• Increase the speed and accuracy of diagnosis for
individuals and populations
• Reduce readmissions and redundant tests through
eHIE with other providers who have treated the same
patients
• Increase patient satisfaction by reducing their time
spent in the healthcare system and eliminating
eHIE: Why?
Aligned with Triple Aim (IHI):
• Improve health of
populations
• Enhance patient
experience of care (quality,
access, and reliability)
• Reduce per capita cost of
care
eHIE: Success Stories
How do we know it will work in PA?
• University of Michigan study using Florida and California
data found that, when their ER visits were at hospitals that
shared info across an electronic HIE, patients having
multiple ER visits were:
• 59% less likely to have a redundant CT scan when
information was shared across an HIE
• 44% less likely to get a duplicate ultrasound
• 67% less likely to have a repeated chest x-ray
eHIE: Success Stories
How do we know it will work in PA?
• Western New York exchange study on CT scan duplication
• 2,700 CT scans potentially unnecessary
• Waste estimated at $1.3 million
• 9 of 10 potentially needless CT scans ordered by
physicians who never or infrequently used the state’s
HEALTHeLINK network
• Frequent HEALTHeLINK users accounted for only 1.1%
of duplicate scans
eHIE: Success Stories
How do we know it will work in PA?
• The Medical University of South Carolina study of ER care
• eHIE saved approximately $2,000 per patient over the course
of one year
• Participating providers saved, on average, one hour and
forty-five minutes per patient
• 89% reported that the quality of care improved
• Washington State ER data-sharing initiative
• ER visits by Medicaid patients reduced by 10 percent in the
program’s first year
eHIE: Activities in PA
eHIE: Activities in PA
PA regional success stories:
• At ClinicalConnect, an organ transplant patient in rural western
Pennsylvania contacted local ER physician with health concern. The
physician viewed patient’s medical history electronically, contacted
transplant coordinator. Prevented unnecessary/costly readmission, avoided
patient travel to Pittsburgh
• KeyHIE demonstrated the reduction of unnecessary readmissions within 30
days for patients with heart failure and COPD
• Johnstown-area urologist used Authority’s DIRECT messaging system
through the AlliedHIE. Reported “positive impact” on office workflow and
“improved access to lab information and patient data at the point of care.”
Also “added additional speed to essential clinical information”
What PAeHPA is Doing
•
PA Patient & Provider Network, or P3N, will “go live” this
year based on lessons learned with three pilots:
•
Lehigh Valley Health Network
•
St. Luke’s Health Network
•
Vale-U-Health
•
Patient Choice
•
Education and outreach on consent options for P3N exchange
•
Public Health Gateway (PHG)
•
Public health reporting
•
Clinical quality measures
•
Meaningful use
What’s Next
•
Implement harmonized legal framework
•
Address super protected data issues
•
Consider advance directives, related documents
•
Support transitions and coordination of care
•
Connecting ancillary providers
•
Advance 90/10 funding request to obtain funds for Public Health Gateway
(PHG) build-out and provider onboarding to HIOs, and HIOs to P3N—potential
$11.9 million available
•
Continue interstate exchange work
•
Next Strategic Plan
Getting There
• Human and financial resources, and a large time commitment, from
all participants
• Efficient, cost-effective stakeholder engagement
• Expand eHIE awareness among providers and patients
• Everyone at the table: the Authority, regional HIOs, hospitals,
physician practices, insurers, pharmacies, HIMSS, state
government, and more
How to Engage with Us
•
Become a registered stakeholder:
http://www.paehealth.org/become-stakeholder
•
Committees
•
In your application to become a stakeholder you can
indicate interest in serving on a committee
•
Register to attend our plenary, held October
21-22, 2014. Offering early bird registration before
September 26:
http://www.paehealth.org/?id=279
Alexandra (Alix) Goss
17 Executive Director
Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Authority
Alexandra (Alix) Goss was named the Executive Director of the
Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Authority in January 2014 after serving as the PA Health Information Technology Coordinator for one year and the program director of the Authority since 2011. In her roles, she has guided Pennsylvania’s efforts to improve quality and safety of healthcare by
working with stakeholders to create and build a statewide network for electronic health information exchange (eHIE). eHIE is shown to improve efficiency in healthcare, reduce costs and make care more convenient for patients. This shared infrastructure will enable unaffiliated organizations to securely exchange health information, allowing providers and patients to make the best possible health decisions.
Alix has worked on the state’s eHIE exchange strategy since 2008, with a focus on technical architecture and privacy and security framework. For more than 20 years, she has held leadership roles in developing national healthcare standards, implementing federal regulations, systems integration and operations
management in the private and public sectors of health care. She is currently serving a four-year term as a member of the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Committee on Vital and Health
