The Defense Health Agency’s Colorado Springs Military Health System now operating as part of Colorado’s Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO), is going to improve care quality and the medical information flow between military and civilian providers.
The Evans Army Community Hospital and the medical clinics at the Air Force Academy, care facilities at Fort Carson, and the Peterson and Schriever Air Force Bases will be able to share electronic health data. The data will be shared with all hospitals in local Colorado Springs regions, all hospitals in the state with greater than 100 inpatient beds, all major laboratories in the state, and more than 460 office-based healthcare providers in El Paso and Teller counties.
The first phase of HIE participation enables military medical providers to quickly access TRICAE beneficiaries network clinical results. This data includes access to patients’ health information via the PatientCare 360® secure web portal.
The second phase, will take place when the military treatment facilities are fully interacting with the HIE system. This will mean that participating community and statewide providers will have access to TRICARE beneficiaries’ community health records.
CORHIO also announced that True North Health Navigation, the first mobile emergency medical unit of its kind in the state, is accessing vital patient information through the HIE and now True North Health Navigation practitioners have access to complete patient medical histories. The True North Health Navigation medical team can view patient health information on iPads set up to securely access CORHIO’s web-based PatientCare 360® application.
Emergency medicine trained practitioners travelling on a special truck equipped with a variety of medical supplies, medications, and a certified lab are able to process blood and do urine tests while en route to non-life threatening 911 calls. The mobile medical unit can also provide advanced medical treatments, including suturing, splinting, and catheter replacement.
Also, the Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN) and CORHIO are providing Health Information Service Provider (HISP) services which enables the exchange of clinical data via Direct messaging. In addition, CORHIO is now in the process of setting up HISP connectivity with HealthShare Montana, the state designated entity headquartered in Billings serving the whole state.
In March 2014, CORHIO and Surescripts completed the technical work needed to connect their two networks. This project was the first connection of the CORHIO HISP to another organization’s HISP. “The CORHIO and Surescripts connection is exciting because Surescripts is working across many states and HIEs,” said Kelly Joines, VP of HIE Program Operations at CORHIO.