Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services, or MiHIN, has partnered with healthcare data sharing and analytics company Beyond Lucid Technologies, as well as the Reading Emergency Unit and South Central-based Hillsdale Hospital.
The goal is to facilitate data sharing between REU and the hospital via MiHIN’s secure network. Not only will outpatient medical professionals have access to a more complete picture of the patient, but MiHIN will also send their continuity of care documentation to Hillsdale Hospital, so providers have a complete picture of the patient’s condition before they arrive.
WHY IT MATTERS
Despite being an integral part of the healthcare delivery system, fire and ambulance services responding to health emergencies rarely exchange real-time data. When they do, it is usually in a format that is not compatible with electronic medical records or health information exchanges, MiHIN explained in its announcement of the interoperability pilot on Tuesday.
But the data stream enables mobile caregivers to improve decision-making and care outcomes. It also enables hospitals, health systems, and care centers where they are transporting patients to and from to avoid delays and eliminate bottlenecks in patient transfers.
“It’s a major step forward in achieving interoperability in healthcare,” said Jeremiah Hodshire, president and CEO of Hillsdale Hospital.
“This joint pilot project, which enables real-time data exchange between emergency departments and hospitals, simplifies the process of patient transfer from emergency department to emergency department, allowing us to work together as one team,” he said in a statement.
That real-time data exchange at critical moments can save lives.
The partnership promises to improve access to patient data and minimize errors “related to incomplete or inaccurate information,” Dr. Tim Pletcher, MiHIN’s executive director, said in the announcement.
When an REU ambulance transports a patient to Hillsdale Hospital, the service will transmit its electronic patient care record containing the patient’s clinical data – including vital signs, history and social determinants of health – and BLT’s Mediview Beacon platform will convert the data into a Continuity of Care Document and transmit it to MiHIN. MiHIN will then use its network to route the CCD to Hillsdale Hospital.
By placing MiHIN at the center of a data sharing model, healthcare providers gain visibility into what mobile clinicians are doing in the field and better understand why they “belong at the healthcare table,” BLT co-founder and CEO Jonathon Feit said in a statement.
“This is not about fire brigade, ambulance or public or private services.”
“It’s about continuity of patient care and making sure everyone is on the same page so healthcare providers can deliver the best possible care.”
“Over the years, (REU) has invested countless hours managing patient data, often dealing with the challenges of waiting for callbacks and faxing documents,” added Keith O’Neill, director of the mobile care unit.
In the second phase of the pilot, MiHIN will establish real-time data exchange between the patient and the outpatient agency, allowing mobile clinicians to access medications and discharge reports from participating hospitals. MiHIN will also share the outpatient CCD with additional patient care team members within its network.
The HIE said it also plans to expand the pilot to include the Long Lake Township Fire Department in Grand Traverse County and other emergency services as part of the federally funded partnership with BLT.
THE BIGGER TREND
Healthcare is underutilizing emergency medical response data, according to data analysts working in the sector who presented at HIMSS24.
Erica Matti, senior analyst at the University of Michigan’s Center for Health and Research Transformation, and Joshua Legler, EMS data consultant for the National Emergency Medical Services Information System Technical Assistance Center, discussed the critical need for EMS to share data about health care in the field.
Matti noted that the center was testing technical changes to the state’s EMS data to facilitate its exchange.
“There is no other area of health care where this level of information is available at the community level, and it is a relatively untapped source of data on health and social needs,” she said.
ON THE RECORD
“Michigan has a complex ecosystem for pre- and post-hospital medical transportation. The partners in this project wanted to create a ramp that would allow mobile medical agencies to realize the benefits of true interoperability across the state,” Feit said in a statement.
“Ambulances and fire brigades are often the first point of contact for patients with a medical condition.
Emergency,” Pletcher added. “In these time-sensitive situations, rapid access to accurate patient health information is critical to making informed decisions and providing effective care.”
Andrea Fox is Editor-in-Chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email address: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.