The University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) has signed an agreement to connect with the Great Lakes Health Information Exchange (GLHIE), the exchange’s officials announced on Tuesday.
Jocelyn DeWitt, chief information officer for the University of Michigan Hospital and Health Centers said the partnership would extend the availability of electronic patient health information across much of lower Michigan and northern Ohio.
“This new partnership affirms our commitment to using the latest information technology solutions to benefit our patients,” she said. “We will significantly expand our ability to access clinical data for UMHS and non-UMHS patients in Michigan through GLHIE."
“Secure access to relevant medical information about individual patients from multiple sources will help our clinicians improve treatment, prevent errors and avoid duplicate testing,” DeWitt added.
[See also: 6 tips for HIE sustainability .]
Carol Parker, executive director of GLHIE welcomed the partnership. “When an institution of this caliber selects you as a partner, it is confirmation of your technology and organizational model,” she said.
According to Parker, the GLHIE allows secure exchange of patient health information from across multiple providers using the Axolotl HIE platform from OptumInsight. GLHIE has also recently selected Optuminsight to connect sub-state HIEs statewide.
The GLHIE is a sub-state health information exchange, and along with other sub-state HIEs in the Michigan, will eventually feed into the Michigan Health Information Network to allow patient data exchange throughout the state, according to Parker.
The broader vision for the future is that the National Health Information Network will eventually connect all the state networks, she said.
The GLHIE, formerly known as the Capital Area Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO), is a collaborative HIE governed by its partners, including Michigan State University, Sparrow Health System, Hayes Green Beach Hospital, Clinton/Eaton/Ingham Community Mental Health, Ingham County Health Department, the State of Michigan, Capital Area Health Alliance, and local physicians.
[See also: The HIT of ACOs, part 2: Beyond HIE.]
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