Statewide Health Information Exchange System to Launch in 23 Orange County ERs

Connecting regional emergency rooms is on the move, July 2009 is slated for the Orange County, California hospitals. Recently I have reported on the state of Wisconsin using Microsoft Amalga for their solution.

Wisconsin Health Information Exchange RHIO connected with Amalga from Microsoft

This is a statewide initiative and 23 hospitals in Orange County will be connected. This is a large move and will grow from Cal-Optima as well. In the Wisconsin study, Humana joined in for additional participation on helping and counseling patients on where they should go for healthcare, depending on what their needs are, instead of a one stop shop ER visit. The next step will be bringing this technology to patients whereby they can import the healthcare information to their PHR (personal health record). BD

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18 / A statewide system to provide physicians with secure electronic access to critical patient information is set to launch in 23 orange county emergency departments. The health information exchange initiative (HIE) is a collaboration between the statewide California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO) and the orange county Partnership Regional Health Information Organization (OCPRHIO). Initially it will provide emergency department physicians with medical record information on 360,000 patients enrolled in CalOptima, which provides coverage for people in Medi-Cal, Medicare, and Healthy Kids. The system is slated to go live by July 2009. Health information exchange (HIE) is a major piece of the Obama Administration's stimulus package.

"This initiative is the first step in making comprehensive information available electronically for all Californians," said Molly Coye, MD, MPH, calrhio Board Chair. "It demonstrates the benefits that can be achieved when state-level and local efforts work together. The orange county community, in supporting OCPRHIO, is leading the way. Together we will improve patient care and safety, and expedite the timeline for electronic exchange of health information."

The new system augments information currently available to Orange County emergency department physicians who care for the county's indigent population. The information is part of the Medical Services Initiative Program, a county funded safety net program.