Health Pulse - Hospitals to exchange patient info electronically | StarNewsOnline.com

A pilot program to connect electronic patient information among local hospitals is expected to go live in mid-February, officials said recently. "It's coming. It is not a theoretical idea. It is something that's just around the corner," said Sam Spicer, vice president of medical affairs for New Hanover Regional Medical Center, during a discussion about health information exchanges during the BizTech Conference & Expo this month. During the past couple of years, Spicer and other health care providers in the region have been deliberating about a patient data exchange that would connect hospitals in seven area counties. The hospitals are part of Coastal Connect, which is sponsored by the Coastal Carolinas Health Alliance. CCHA is made up of 11 hospitals along the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina. At the beginning of the year, Coastal Connect became its own 501(c)3 nonprofit group, Spicer said. "Having waited a little bit and not jumped in it right away like … the western part of the state has, we're actually at a pretty good time," Spicer said. "We're like a surfer catching the wave just at the right time when it has a chance of getting us all the way into the beach." He said another group also is working on a state-level information exchange. "For me, I think it's one of the best times to be in health care because of the innovations that are coming along," said Wilmington Health CEO Jeff James, who also sat on the panel. "The things that the HIE (health information exchange) will facilitate have not been done before to a large extent, and they certainly have not been done in markets where the care is fragmented, with lots of different providers like Wilmington is." He said doctors would finally be able to see what is going on with their patients regardless of who is providing their care. "Wherever they touch health care providers, we'll actually have access to that information just as quickly as if they touched us," James said. "We actually get to demonstrate quality, not the perception of quality."

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