Medical records networks merge
PostStar.com-
GLENS FALLS — Two electronic medical record-sharing networks have merged, creating one organization with a much larger coverage area.The Adirondack Regional Community Health Information Exchange, or ARCHIE, has agreed to merge with the Health Information Xchange of New York, or HIXNY.
ARCHIE serves the greater Glens Falls area, while the larger HIXNY network goes as far north as Plattsburgh and as far south as Columbia and Greene counties.
As information exchange networks, both organizations collect preapproved patient information from their participating care providers and make it available to their entire membership.
“We use programs to take all the separate medical records and wrap them up into a big virtual chart,” said ARCHIE Chairman Dr. Daniel Chernoff.
Both groups were started by local medical providers about six years ago. Both have largely depended on grant funding and income from membership fees. Both offer a way for doctors to view their patients’ X-rays, lab results, medications and allergies from other facilities in real time.
Once the merger is completed, ARCHIE and HIXNY officials say patients and doctors across the region will benefit. By sharing information, doctors are able to improve care, make more timely decisions about treatment, and avoid duplicate procedures or tests.
“I think it’s a really substantial benefit,” said Dr. John Collins, HIXNY chairman. “The whole idea behind health information exchange is to give information about individuals to care delivery in real time.”
Over the summer, the two organizations issued a memorandum of understanding, which will guide the transition through the end of 2012.
The process is just
beginning, and the two networks aren’t able to share
information just yet.
The groups said it became clear in recent years that a single platform was needed for the entire region, especially as more and more providers adopt electronic record-keeping.
For example, Glens Falls Hospital and Saratoga Hospital are only 20 miles apart, but they are on separate networks. As a result, doctors who need patient records from the other facility currently must call and request them by fax.
In addition, HIXNY’s coverage area surrounds ARCHIE.
“It just didn’t make sense long term for there to be this independent organization carved out from that geography surrounded by HIXNY,” Collins said.
ARCHIE includes about 15 medical practices, including founding member Glens Falls Hospital. HIXNY includes Saratoga Hospital and Albany Medical Center, among others.
Collins noted there are many more regional organizations serving the rest of New York state, as well as others across state lines. While there are discussions about how to facilitate communication between these larger networks, Collins said there are still many technical challenges.
“We still haven’t figured out how to connect the dots between the regional organizations,” he said.
