SUBSCRIBE                                                                                               December 2018
Addition of Pam Matthews Strengthens
GaHIN Leadership Team 
Pam Matthews , RN, MBA, FHIMSS, CPHIMS, has joined GaHIN as Executive Operating Officer. Pam is an accomplished information technology leader with over 25 years of experience focused on healthcare information and exchange, strategic planning, IT operations and clinical informatics.
 
Pam is quite familiar with HIEs - she recently served as Interim Executive Director of the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC) and worked over eight years at HIMSS, where she launched and directed the Society's initiatives with health information exchange, supported HIMSS Analytics and convened communities at the state and regional levels.
 
"Being able to bring my national experience with HIEs to Georgia, my home, is a great opportunity," said Pam. "I had already had the chance to engage with GaHIN's talented, dedicated team and I feel so fortunate to be able to work with them on a daily basis."
 
Pam has served on several boards and advisory councils as well as participated on federal grant endeavors, state-specific initiatives and ONC contracts. Prior to working in the professional society sector, Pam was a CIO for a nationwide healthcare provider and worked in healthcare consulting at KPMG and a boutique firm focused on strategic planning, information technology and services. She is a Registered Nurse with a bachelor in Industrial Engineering and a Master's in Business Administration
 
What's Your Opinion?
The biggest problem plaguing primary care is the paperwork burden, according to Medical Economics' 89th Physician Report, with 79 percent of respondents ranking it as their top challenge.
 
If you agree, you might want to comment on the ONC's draft Strategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burden Relating to the Use of Health IT and EHRs. The draft addresses concerns shared by clinicians and other stakeholders that EHR burden can negatively affect provider satisfaction and ultimately the care delivery experience. The document is available for public comment until 11:59 PM on 1/28/19.

Register Now for HIMSS19
February 11-15, 2019
Orlando, FL
 
Each year, tens of thousands of healthcare and HIT professionals gather at the HIMSS Global Conference & Exhibition to learn, network and see the latest solutions.
 
HIMSS19 is expected to bring together 45,000+ health information and technology professionals, clinicians, executives and market suppliers from around the world. Exceptional education, world-class speakers, cutting-edge products and powerful networking are hallmarks of this industry-leading conference.

GaHIN Doubles Number of Queries in 2018,
Substantially Grows GeorgiaDirect Transactions
When GaHIN launched GeorgiaDirect in July 2012 in conjunction with the Department of Community Health, no one could have predicted that the service would grow exponentially. As of November 2018, there are 6,305 registered users, including 323 member organizations, registered to use this service to electronically exchange CCDs (Continuity of Care Documents) and other clinical information.
 
The same is true for GaHIN's query-based exchange, Georgia ConnectedCare. It began in August 2013, when Medicaid became the first member (node) to go live, making 1.8 million Medicaid members' claims information available on the network. Now there are 32,039,059 patient records in GaHIN's MPI with ~12,942 connected providers (as of October 2018).
 
Here's a look at how GeorgiaDirect and Georgia ConnectedCare transactions have increased over the past few years.


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