HealtHIE Nevada, the Silver State’s health information exchange, said this week that it is working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense to make their patients’ clinical information available to service members statewide.
Since the connection went live on June 12, active-duty military members, veterans and their families can use the exchange to access labs, medications and discharge information – with HealtHIE also making electronic health record data available to VA and DoD providers.
DoD and VA are now two of more than 140 organizations across Nevada that work with HealtHIE to securely manage clinical data among physician practices, hospitals, diagnostic services and other care providers in Nevada – eliminating the need for patients to collect and transport paper records to their appointments.
THE LARGER TREND
HealtHIE Nevada points to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau that shows more than 226,000 veterans and 13,000 active-duty military personnel in Nevada – many of whom get care in both the VA system and from non-VA community providers.
This new connection will enable providers at the VA to access clinical data from other organizations that participate in HealtHIE Nevada, such as Renown Health, Dignity Health, Saint Mary’s Medical Center, University Medical Center and others.
ON THE RECORD
“Whether on active duty, reacclimating to civilian life or years into their retirement journey, we’re honored to help our active-duty military and veterans by allowing doctors and other healthcare providers access to their medical records in a seamless and secure manner,” said Michael Gagnon, executive director of HealtHIE Nevada in a press statement.
“This new service is designed to enhance care coordination between VA, DoD and local healthcare facilities to ultimately improve patient care wherever they receive care in Nevada,” he added.
Mike Miliard is executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.