Patient-directed Utah Health Information Network increases engagement and care management

Sometimes, the consumer is the one group that gets ignored in the electronic exchange of health information.

"The patient tends not to get included in health information exchange," said Teresa Rivera, president and CEO, Utah Health Information Network, who will address the cost and care benefits of the patient-provider connection at HIMSS19. "What we're working toward is making sure that data is made available to the patient."

The Utah Health Information Network includes data from 95 percent of hospitals and 90 percent of large clinics in the state. It is working on including therapy providers.

The data comes in as a consolidated CCD and is presented in a user- friendly format through a patient portal. The information can be added to the EHR or as an external tab in the EHR.
UHIN also added a secure messaging component for patients to send information to their providers.

Connections between patients and providers are becoming an increasingly critical component of federal care quality programs. The patient-directed exchange has been proven to increase engagement and improve care management.

Getting there requires allowing patients to retrieve their data  through a single access point.

The Utah Health Information Network built a patient application for all of an individual's health information to be accessible from one access point. This empowers patients to not only get their health information, but to actively communicate with their current providers and to share records with new providers as they choose.

Payers benefit from having their membership get engaged with both financial and clinical data.

For patients, Rivera said, "Part of the healing begins once those claims are taken care of and everything works smoothly on the financial end."

The Utah Health Information Network began 25 years ago as a standards development organization for claims and payment remittances.

"We realized an electronic exchange was a way to reduce administrative costs," Rivera said.
Ten years ago, UHIN started the health information exchange, and is now the state-designated HIE in Utah. It harnesses the standards of HL7,  Wheat and H12 for the exchange, integration, sharing and retrieval of electronic health information.

Rivera will address "New Horizons in Patient-Directed Exchange," from 4-5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 13 in Room W304E, at HIMSS19 in Orlando.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com