Wellogic staff will be conducting training for all North Hawaii providers. Hawaii Island Beacon Community staff, in partnership with staff from the Hawaii Pacific Regional Extension Center, will continue ongoing support related to the adoption and use of Electronic Health Records.
BY CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
WEST HAWAII TODAY
clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com
North Hawaii Community Hospital has received $680,000 to improve its health information technology, joining a national health care industry trend to improve information technology.
The North Hawaii Health Information Exchange will allow medical practices, other facilities and patients to share health information in real-time, improving the quality and efficiency of medical care, officials said Wednesday.
This interactive system is expected to be operational by March, said Dr. William Park, chief medical officer and general surgeon at North Hawaii Community Hospital.
“Too often, physicians must start from scratch to diagnose and treat patients, particularly first-time patients and those with no knowledge of other physicians, past medical history, medications or previous care,” he said. “With Health Information Exchange, no matter where a patient receives care, whether at our hospital, from a home health nurse nearby or overseas, health practitioners will be able securely and immediately to access comprehensive, critical decision-making information all in one place.”
The system will provide a complete picture of a patient’s health history, medication, lab results, family and social history, as well as vital statistics, Park said.
“To have such groundbreaking technology here at a small, rural hospital is pretty unusual and downright spectacular,” he said. “It’s going to change how we practice medicine.”
The Hawaii Island Beacon Community, a $16.1 million federally funded project, recently awarded a $680,000 contract to the hospital for the system, which will impact more than 32,000 patients in North Hawaii and marks the first step toward an islandwide Health Information Exchange.
Kona Community Hospital will have the Health Information Exchange once it has electronic medical records, slated to happen by January 2013, said Susan Hunt, Hawaii Island Beacon Community chief executive office and project director. Electronic medical records are the foundation of the system, she added.
Implementation of the North Hawaii system began last month and will continue this year. After 2012, this system will be sustained through other funding methods, officials said.
The Health Information Exchange uses cloud computing. The only equipment needed are computers and Internet access, Park said.
North Hawaii Community Hospital’s existing vendor partner, Wellogic, has already laid the technical foundation for the system. It is connecting the hospital’s information systems with 15 private practitioners in Waimea; affiliated physician groups; two statewide labs (Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii and Diagnostic Laboratory Services); all pharmacies, radiology and imaging centers in the region; a national database of dispensed prescriptions; and Hamakua Health Center.
“We are pleased to support the groundbreaking initiatives of North Hawaii Community Hospital to help providers in the North Hawaii region adopt and benefit from the latest technology in health care,” Hunt said. “North Hawaii Community Hospital has pioneered the use of Electronic Health Records by North Hawaii providers and helped to achieve a nearly 95 percent adoption rate — one of the highest for any community nationwide. The region is more than ready to take the next step, and both patients and providers will benefit from the streamlined operations that a secure Health Information Exchange system makes possible.”
All available information about a patient from all venues of care will be displayed in provider and patient portals or pushed to Electronic Health Records used in providers’ offices, thus improving care coordination and collaboration between providers and their patients.
Providers can order tests and medications, as well as make referrals and consultation requests with full knowledge of other pending orders across the community. They can easily track the status of their requests and safely and securely communicate with their peers, patients and service providers.
The benefits of the system include the exchanging of up-to-date information at a higher efficiency, informed treatment decisions and improved care coordination among health care providers, all of which helps lead to better, safer patient care, Park said.
Wellogic staff will be conducting training for all North Hawaii providers. Hawaii Island Beacon Community staff, in partnership with staff from the Hawaii Pacific Regional Extension Center, will continue ongoing support related to the adoption and use of Electronic Health Records.