Total participating practices: 399

Total participating providers: 2,489

Total number of users: 7,206

Total number of patient consent forms signed: 401,322 

Total number of patient referral packet CCD's electronically exchanged for care coordination from January-August 2012: 104,775

Total results available through HEALTHeLINK: More than 76 million

Total number of patient record look up queries via the Virtual Health Record (VHR) from January-August 2012: 167,987

Total number of practices that support electronic delivery of HEALTHeLINK results directly into their EMR: 176

Data Source

The following data sources are currently available through HEALTHeLINK. Those bolded are new since the last edition of The Link:

Advantage Telehealth (telemonitoring)

Briody Health Care Facility (ADTs)

Buffalo MRI

Catholic Health System (ADTs, radiology, labs)

Catholic Health/McAuley Seton Home Care (telemonitoring)

Diagnostic Imaging Associates (radiology, radiology images)

ECMC (ADTs, radiology, labs, transcribed reports)

Genetic Diagnostic Laboratories (labs)

Jones Memorial Hospital (ADTs, radiology, transcribed reports)

Kaleida Health System (ADTs, radiology, labs, transcribed reports)

Kaleida Health's Visiting Nurses Association (telemonitoring)

Lake Erie Regional Health System of NY – Brooks Memorial  (ADTs radiology,   transcribed reports)

Lake Erie Regional Health System of NY – Lakeshore Hospital (ADTs, labs, transcribed reports)

Mount St. Mary’s Hospital (ADTs, radiology, labs, transcribed reports)

Niagara Falls Memorial (ADTs, radiology, labs, ER reports)

Quest Diagnostics (labs)

Roswell Park Cancer Institute (ADTs, radiology, labs, transcribed reports)

RxHub (medication history)

Southtowns Radiology

Spectrum Radiology

Surescripts (medication history)

United Memorial Medical Center (ADTs, radiology, radiology images,  labs)

Upper Allegheny Health System (ADTs, radiology, labs & transcribed reports)

WCA of Jamestown (ADTs, radiology, radiology images, labs, transcribed reports)

Windsong Radiology Group

X-Cell Laboratories

For a complete listing of data sources and participating practices, click here »

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Beacon Project Update

WNY Beacon is improving health, care, and costs by building on HEALTHeLINK’s foundation to accelerate the use of health IT facilitate the effective use of health IT, such as clinical reports delivery, clinical decision tools, EHR interoperability, and patient record look-up in provider practices, to reduce the number of individuals with uncontrolled diabetes. A key intervention being implemented by WNY Beacon is the use of EHRs to generate diabetes registries. WNY Beacon is working with its clinical transformation partners Catholic Medical Partners and P2 Collaborative of Western New York to assist practices in setting up and maintaining these patient lists for ongoing disease management and monitoring patient progress. Practices are using registries to track real-time information and measure progress as well as to generate reminders and guidance for patients’ care. To date, 72 practices, representing approximately 40,000 diabetic patients, have implemented registries with an additional 26 practices scheduled to have registries implemented this fall.

WNY Beacon is just beginning to review the data provided by these registries. Its comprehensive registry report will use the data collected from the participating practices – which consists of de-identified demographic and clinical information for patients with diabetes – to provide a set of distinct clinical indicators that enable measurement of the impact of the changes that take place within a practice as well as for diabetes patients across Western New York. Another WNY Beacon pilot project - telemonitoring - was highlighted in ONC's blog on July 10 and can be found here.

People Inc.’s Associate Vice President Frank Azzarelli was recommended by HEALTHeLINK to take part in a discussion in Washington DC on health care and information technology. Azzarelli participates in People Inc.’s Elmwood Health Center’s EHR process as part of both HEALTHeLINK and WNY Beacon. Pictured here with Congressman Brian Higgins (left), Azzarelli (right) joined senior Obama administration officials and fellow health care providers for a discussion on how health information technology can improve care quality and patient health.

VA partnership to enhance care for Veterans

In support of the Beacon Project goal of expanding the data sources to all hospitals in our community - Western New York is one of 13 communities in the United States selected by the Department of Veterans Affairs to participate in the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record Health Communities Program, a public-private partnership to use health information exchange technology to improve the care quality and delivery of medical treatment to local Veterans. HEALTHeLINK and VA WNY Healthcare System announced this initiative in a media event on July 31. Participating physicians from VA, private practices and hospitals across WNY will be able to access critical health information for their Veteran patient’s through HEALTHeLINK’s health information exchange.

“The VLER program is aimed at creating a more convenient and comprehensive medical, personnel and benefits record for all Veterans, in addition to creating a seamless transition from military to civilian life,” said Brian G. Stiller, director of VA WNY Healthcare System. “One of our priorities is to eliminate the need for our Veteran patients to carry paper copies of their health records to private providers. The information will be accessible with a Veteran’s consent from military to VA to private-sector health care.”

A signed consent form for both VA and HEALTHeLINK is needed for Veterans to authorize their treating physicians to safely and securely access health information electronically. Veterans can enroll in person at either the Buffalo or Batavia VA facility’s Release of Information Office or Veterans Service Center. Forms can also be found online at www.buffalo.va.gov/vler.asp.

VHR Patient Look-up

HEALTHeLINK is continuing to build and strengthen health IT infrastructure within the local health community. Comparing December 2010 to December 2011, providers increased their usage of the virtual health record to access patient data by 650%. To date this year, a total of 167,987 patient record look up queries were made via the virtual health record. 

New Policy Video

HEALTHeLINK has introduced a new policy video which explains policies and how they affect both users and patients. All users must watch this video before accessing HEALTHeLINK and the virtual health record. Watch it here.

ONC launches new video

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has launched a new video to educate on health information technology and sharing one’s medical records electronically. Click here to check it out.

What physicians are saying about HEALTHeLINK

“I’ve been using the virtual health record (VHR) function on HEALTHeLINK for several weeks now and have found the patient health information I have been able to access extremely useful as it has helped to clarify issues we have historically struggled with when looking at biopsies with no prior medical history. HEALTHeLINK has been relatively easy to use and provided me with laboratory data, CAT scan reports and previous biopsy information. In addition, I’ve noticed more patients are continuing to consent to providing their treating physicians access to this data, which helps in their overall quality of care. 

 -       David Scamurra, MD, pathologist, X-Cell Laboratories of WNY

HEALTHeLINK In the News

• Buffalo News – Healthelink adds Briody to info exchange
• Buffalo News - WNY to help pioneer VA electronic medical records system
• CMIO - VA joins forces with N.Y. HIE
• Fierce Health IT - Telemonitoring helps diabetics to manage their own care
• Government Health IT - 3 Questions with HEALTHeLINK's Daniel Porreca
• Government Health IT - Beacons advance data tools to measure population health outcomes
• Healthcare IT news - VA links up with Western New York HIE
• Health Data Management - Buffalo the latest region to link VA and local docs
• Health Data Management - Buffalo HIE Makes First Link to LTC Facility
• Lockport Union-Sun & Journal - Briody joins new record exchange
• Modern Healthcare - Podcast: Dan Porreca, executive director of HealtheLink, discusses growth, goals of the NY health information exchange
• WBFO - Good For You: The Quality & Cost of Health Care in WNY
• WBFO - Medical exchange partnership set up for veterans
• WGRZ-TV - VA unveils electronic medical record initiative
• WIVB-TV - Electronic records to benefit Veterans