Celebrating National Health IT Week

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Celebrating National Health IT Week - October 8-12

National Health IT (NHIT) Week is a nationwide awareness week focused on catalyzing actionable change within the U.S. health system through the application of information and technology. NHIT was founded by HIMSS and the Institute for e-Policy in 2006 to shine light upon the impact of health information technology within the U.S. health system. Participants include the Administration, Congress, federal and state agencies, providers, nonprofit organizations and more.

"The health IT industry has made tremendous strides, yet there is still a great deal of work to be done," said Dr. Denise Hines, Executive Director of GaHIN. "We recognize the value of raising awareness of health information and technology, which is why GaHIN is a proud partner of the U.S. National Health IT Week."

Ready to Learn? Check Out These Webinars

Every quarter, GaHIN partners with the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) to present an informative webinar. Our next webinar on the Provider Directory and GeorgiaDirect will be Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 11 AM. Sign up here and also check out other helpful webinars from DCH.

GaHIN Announces New Board Members, Chair

The new chairman of the GaHIN Board of Directors is Dominic H. Mack, MD, MBA, Director of the National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Mack has been a long-time supporter (and Board member) of GaHIN and we look forward to his leadership.

Our past chairman, Dennis L. White, MSIT, DHA, CEO, Alliant/GMCF, has served in the role of chair since GaHIN's inception. Many thanks to Dr. White for his commitment and service, and we are pleased he will continue to serve on the Executive Committee and Board.

Rena Brewer, CEO of the Global Partnership for TeleHealth, has joined the Executive Committee in the role of Board Secretary, and Tom Ford, CEO, Lookout Mountain Community Services, has also joined the Executive Committee.

Joining the GaHIN Board of Directors are Allana Cummings, CIO, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Bill Wylie, SVP Business Development, Georgia Hospital Association.

View a list of all GaHIN Board members.

From 100% Paper to 95% Electronic Transmission

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Cancer Registry is responsible for collecting data related to cancer. The availability of this data at the state level allows health researchers to analyze geographic, racial and other differences that provide clues that point to risk factors. This data also helps in determining where early detection, educational or other programs should be directed.

In the past, the Georgia Cancer Registry received monthly pathology reports from 50-60 hospitals, surgery centers, and provider offices via fax and FedEx delivery. DCH partnered with GaHIN for HISP services to improve communication and reporting transmission to the Georgia Cancer Registry.

Working closely with Health Catalyst (formerly Medicity), GaHIN developed an HCI HISP that:

Enabled successful transmission of pathology report receipts, converting the process from 100% paper transmission to 95% electronic transmission.
Improved data collection methods, resulting in reduction of three Information Analyst FTEs to one FTE to support record reconciliation starting Q1 of 2017.
Allowed staff to spend less time collecting data and focus more time on analyzing data to further the understanding of cancer and develop strategies/policies for prevention, control, and treatment.