Health Current Helps Mountain View Pediatrics Improve Efficiency
As the largest pediatric practice in northern Arizona, Mountain View Pediatrics must operate efficiently to keep their patients healthy. But that
operation became more efficient this past year when Mountain View Pediatrics joined Health Current, according to one of the co-owners, Ron Tuckman, MD, and office manager, Angela Hernandez.  The eight pediatricians and one nurse practitioner of Mountain View Pediatrics in Flagstaff typically see 115 patients each day and 15-25 patients on weekends. They are always busy, especially now in the middle of flu season.

When Mountain View Pediatrics joined Health Current, one of the first services set up was to receive Alerts on their patients who are admitted or discharged from the hospital. While this can mean receiving a significant number of Alerts, they built the Alerts into their practice workflow to ensure timely follow-up with discharged patients and their families. In the past, Tuckman said, they would receive "infrequent calls" from hospitals concerning patients who were discharged. Now with their HIE connection, the Alerts are a "secure blanket" covering every discharge. Read more. 
Health Current Participation Reaches 400
Health Current participation recently reached a significant milestone of 400 participants, and its growth of 400 percent over the past two years makes Arizona's health information exchange (HIE) the fastest growing in the nation over that time. Health Current's rapid growth can be traced back to the introduction of new technology and services in 2015. It was also in 2015 that Health Current eliminated HIE fees for community providers which also began to spur interest.

Outreach to hospitals coupled with incentives for hospitals to participate and supply data to the HIE began to rapidly grow the available data for  participants in 2016. Also, in 2016 Health Current's strategy to integrate physical and behavioral providers in the HIE contributed to explosive growth. And in 2016 and 2017 new growth also included first responder organizations, post-acute care organizations and accountable care organizations (ACOs).  Read more . 
 

Growth Spurs System Upgrade and New Hardware Platform
With the rapid growth that Health Current has seen over the past two years, Health Current has had to keep a close eye on technology needs to keep pace with the growth. According to Jaime Estrada, Chief Technical Officer for Health Current, the challenge is not only to keep pace with growth but also to look forward to future system needs.

Just as 2017 came to a close, Health Current upgraded its HIE technology in two ways -  with the move to a new hardware platform to expand capacity and with an update to system software to improve functionality. "We were able to make both of these improvements during an overnight downtime," Estrada said. "The software update and the move the new platform went very smoothly. Our capacity and functionality are much improved, and we are keeping a close eye on future needs."

As is customary with system upgrades, Health Current notifies participants in advance before system downtimes. If you would like to receive alerts concerning Health Current system downtimes, please contact your account manager.
Reminder: Complete the Provider Only Section of Patient Rights Forms
When Health Current participants provide their patients the Notice of Health Information Practices, that Notice informs patients of their right to opt out or opt back in to the HIE or to request to see their information. These patient decisions are recorded on the following forms that all include a Provider Office Only section:
  • Opt Out Form
  • Opt Back In Form
  • Health Information Request Form

The Provider Office Only section of these forms must be completed. Without this section completed, Health Current is not able to identify the practice and the patient who has made the decision and properly process the patient decision or request. These forms are now available as fillable PDFs so that multiple copies of these forms can be printed with the Provider Office Only sections completed. To obtain copies of these forms as fillable PDFs, contact your account manager. Please send completed forms via these secure fax numbers:  (602) 324-5596 or (520) 300-8364.  If you do not know who your account manager is, please email  [email protected]
Medication Assisted Treatment and Coordination of Care; and Live Waiver Training Webinar
Sponsored by  The Arizona Psychiatric Society and Arizona Chapter of the Society for Addiction Medicine for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Essentials  
There are two sessions offered and you may opt into the sessions of your choice featuring local experts on medication assisted treatment, coordination of care, the status of the opioid crisis in Arizona, and live waiver eligibility training.

WHEN:  Saturday, January 20, 2018
Live at  University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, and by live video to Flagstaff Medical Center or University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson . Register today!

Questions?   Contact  [email protected]
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