The Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE) is improving the coordination and quality of healthcare across the state by speeding the timeliness and accuracy with which providers receive patient health information. Medical professionals can access patient records instantly through any secure browser, along with diagnostic-quality medical images. They are one of the first states to provide images as part of their state designated health information exchange.
Supported by eHealth Technologies, IHDE’s HIE has produced benefits for physicians, as well as patients. IHDE has improved the efficiency of care transitions. Physicians no longer need to wait for faxes, image CDs or make dozens of phone calls in order to receive medical records. Instead, lab, hospital transcription, ADT and radiology reports and access to images are available electronically and instantly to IHDE-participating providers as soon as they are available — from the office, their home, or from out of town.
2013 is shaping up to be a banner year for IHDE as it is expanding greater access for more areas of the state. Recently it connected to St. Luke’s Health System Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS).
Diagnostic imaging is costing the healthcare industry nearly $220 billion annually, and patients are often subjected to redundant exams because their images are unavailable or inaccessible. This waste, lost time and frustration is being alleviated by exchange of images. IDHE participating physicians now have immediate access to full diagnostic-quality images including X-rays, CT and MR scans, ultrasound studies, and ECGs. They can access these images in conjunction with results reports or on an emergent basis, before the report is available. The images are hosted securely in the cloud, allowing for access, downloading, viewing, and sharing from any PC, Mac or iPad.
IHDE’s image exchange has also improved collaboration. A patients’ clinical care team can conference together at one time to provide a consult on a patient case, from wherever they are working; no more travelling across town or across the state for expert consultation. The entire team has diagnostic-quality image viewing with real-time image manipulation tools.
Both internal and external clinicians can view and manipulate images while collaborating in real time by working with its easy-to-use tools. Once-common issues of lost images, non-viewable CDs, or large file transfers have become problems of the past. All images are now available when and where they're needed, keeping patients from exposure to unnecessary repeated procedures, speeding treatment time and saving significant healthcare costs.
The patient benefits go beyond faster treatment and less redundancy in testing. There is also greater protection in privacy of personal health information. A patient’s records can only be seen by participating health care providers, and any information accessed on the system can be tracked so a physician will always know exactly who is viewing those records.
Ken Rosenfeld is the president, co-founder and CTO of eHealth Technologies.
