September 2023 | Issue 54

HEALTHeLINK Awarded $1M in Federal Funding to Enable Availability of Advance Directives at Point of Care

HEALTHeLINK has been awarded $1 million cooperative agreement over the next two years from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)* to aggregate advance care planning documents from across the community and make electronically available to treating providers who need to know a patient’s wishes at the point of care.


The funding is being provided through ONC’s Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology program. HEALTHeLINK is the only recipient of funding in the country in the 2023 LEAP project category – “Exploring the Use of Advanced Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) Capabilities.” The FHIR standard defines how health care information can be exchanged between different computer systems regardless of how it is stored in those systems. 

For more information, visit LINK

Compliance Reminder 

To meet the requirements of the HEALTHeLINK & HEALTHeNET Policies and Procedures as per the Responsibilities of the Authorized Contact, User Lists must be reviewed every 30 days. Failure to do so will block your ability to request any new user and may result in sanctions to access our systems.

Community Health Dashboard Update

We are excited to share the latest updates on our Community Health Dashboard, a valuable tool that provides insights into the health status of our region. The dashboard serves as a comprehensive resource, allowing us to monitor key health indicators and track progress towards improving community health outcomes. Through our partnership with CCNY Inc., we have engaged with various stakeholders, including community leaders, healthcare providers, social service organizations, and policymakers, to gather insights and perspectives to guide the development of this dashboard. Across all sessions, stakeholders expressed their intent to use the dashboard for three key purposes: comparing WNY health outcomes against established public health objectives; conducting health equity analyses; and customizing public health interventions, education, and resources. Additionally, they recognized the dashboard as a valuable resource for accessing current health information for grant applications and needs assessments.

 

We are committed to transparency and community engagement throughout this process. We will be expanding opportunities for stakeholders to provide input and shape the dashboard. Your insights and perspectives are invaluable in ensuring that the dashboard accurately reflects the health needs and priorities of our community. Stakeholder insight will help us to create a Community Health Dashboard that truly reflects the needs and priorities of our community. Together, we can ensure that the dashboard becomes a valuable resource for monitoring health indicators, tracking progress, and driving positive change in our community.

 

Stay tuned for updates on ways to participate. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to build a healthier community!

HEALTHeLINK Platform Upgrade Notice

HEALTHeLINK’s migration to a new platform is underway! We are working with our vendor on the new master patient index (MPI), as well as converting critical workflows to operate on the new platform without interruption.


Stay tuned for more information!



SHIN-NY Webinar - Sept. 27

New York eHealth Collaborative is hosting an overview webinar about the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), which facilitates the secure electronic exchange of patient health information and connects healthcare professionals statewide. Join the free webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 27 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. to learn more about the SHIN-NY and how it enables collection and coordination of care to improvement patient outcomes, reduce unnecessary and avoidable tests and procedures, and lower costs. 

Register Here

The HEALTHeLINK team participated in another great Civitas Networks for Health annual conference held in Maryland in August. 

Employee News

HEALTHeLINK announced several promotions within its technology department.

Michael Bossert was named senior manager, operations systems and compliance. With seven years of compliance and consent experience, he is responsible for managing and enhancing the auditing program, overseeing the consent and data management teams, and strategizing and implementing efficiencies across his teams. Bossert was previously compliance team lead.

 

McKenna Cartonia was promoted to senior healthcare informatics analyst from healthcare informatics analyst. With more than three years of analytical experience, she has knowledge of the HEDIS and NCQA data quality initiatives at HEALTHeLINK and is also responsible for various clinical and operational reporting to the New York eHealth Collaborative.

 

Jena Daggett was named senior operations and compliance analyst. She has 10 years of health science and clinical experience along with data management experience working at HEALTHeLINK. Daggett is responsible for ensuring the integrity and accuracy of exchange data, user access controls, and compliance functions. She was most recently senior operations analyst. 

 

With more than 11 years of experience as an operations analyst, Diane Guy was promoted to operations systems manager. An expert in data management processes, Guy efficiently manages various operational systems for HEALTHeLINK.

 

Michelle Mazur was named senior manager, operations support. With HEALTHeLINK for 14 years, Mazur most recently served as operations analyst. In her new role, she is responsible for managing the account management and servicing team and oversees the implementation of both department and organization wide policies, procedures and workflows related to serving and support at HEALTHeLINK.

 

Kim Tran was promoted to team lead, operations support. With more than 15 years of customer service experience, including 10 in the health care industry, she is responsible for overseeing several key operational functions related to servicing and support of HEALTHeLINK and HEALTHeNET. Tran was most recently an account manager.

 

Congratulations, all!

NEW! GUIDE 2 BETTER CARE SEGMENTS

HEALTHeLINK’s Guide 2 Better Care segments air every other Wednesday on WGRZ-TV, during the 4pm and 11pm newscasts. Local health care leaders provide education about HEALTHeLINK as well as highlight the value and benefits of HIE in Western New York.

View our Segments

HEALTHeLINK IN THE NEWS

Dr. Karen Craik, senior manager, regional health was a guest on the WGRZ WNY Living Show.

EHR Intelligence - ONC Awards $2M for Health IT Interoperability Projects

 Healthcare Innovation - N.Y. HIE HealtheLink, Boston Children’s Hospital Win ONC LEAP Awards

RAMA on Healthcare - N.Y. HIE HealtheLink, Boston Children’s Hospital Win ONC LEAP Awards

ADOPTION




Percent of WNY practices who participate with HEALTHeLINK: 87%

 

Total number of patient consent forms signed: 1,534,069

 

Total results available through HEALTHeLINK: 360,229,905

 

Total number of patient record look up queries in HEALTHeLINK YTD: 3,464,510

 

Total number of practices sending data to HEALTHeLINK from their EHR: 554

 

Total number of practices getting results delivered from HEALTHeLINK into their EHR: 797

NEW DATA SOURCES


Care at Home

Clymer Rural Health Clinic 

Joseph A Riccione DO Family Medicine 

URMC Jones Rheumatology 




For a complete listing of data sources and participating practices, click here!

PATIENT RECORD

LOOK-UP TOP USERS


Hospital Users

Kaleida Health System

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Care

Catholic Health System

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center

Erie County Medical Center



Physician Practice Users

General Physicians PC

 Dent Neurologic Institute

Buffalo Medical Group

WNY Urology Associates

 Trinity Medical Cardiology

RPCI Oncology PC

University Neurology

 Landmark Medical PC

Windsong Radiology Group PC

UB Surgeons

UB Neurosurgery, Inc.

Nephrology Associates of WNY

 The Chautauqua Center

 Gastroenterology Associates

Highgate Medical Group


Other Participant Users

Independent Health

CINQ Health Home

ConnectLife

Health Homes of Upstate New York

Erie County Department of Health


Proud member of Civitas Networks for Health

Proud to be part of the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY)
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