ClinicalConnect to Make Patients’ Records More Accessible to Medical Providers

By Vanessa Orr

Imagine being far from home and having a medical emergency. Rushed to the nearest hospital, providers are waiting to treat you based on the information that you can give them about your medical history, past treatments, allergies, medications and more. Or consider that you’re visiting a specialist, whose treatment plan is based on what you can remember about the medications you are taking, including generic or brand names, dosages and length of time prescribed.

In the best of all worlds, this information would travel with you, ensuring that providers have all of your medical records at their fingertips so that you can receive the most accurate medical care possible. To make patient information more readily available to health care providers, nine of the region’s leading health care providers have formed western Pennsylvania’s first Health Information Exchange (HIE) in an effort to improve the safety, quality and efficiency of care for patients throughout the region.

Called ClinicalConnect, this collaboration comprises Altoona Regional Health System, Armstrong County Memorial Hospital, Butler Health System, Excela Health, Heritage Valley Health System, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, St. Clair Hospital, The Washington Hospital and UPMC.

“The vision behind ClinicalConnect is to have patients’ health-related information available to the providers who are giving care, whether it’s here, across town or anywhere in the world,” explained Norm Mitry, president and CEO, Heritage Valley Health System. “When you look at the health care industry, what is conspicuous by its absence is the exchange of patient data. We are running far behind the curve of other industries.” Mitry gives the example of the banking industry, which has created a system where user data is shared so that bank clients can use their debit and credit cards all over the world.

“Consider, for example, a person who lives in Butler County and is part of the Butler Health System, who has a health event at the Pittsburgh Airport,” shared Mitry. “When that person is taken to the closest hospital, like Heritage Valley Sewickley, the doctors there know nothing about that patient, nor do they have a mechanism in place to get that information.”

The goal of ClinicalConnect is to make sure that participating hospitals can easily exchange this data. “When a physician is making clinical judgments, they need as much information as is possible about the patient, including a better historical picture,” explained Dale Fuller, chief information officer, Altoona Regional Health System.

“When a patient is referred to a rheumatologist, for example, he may be given medications that his primary care provider doesn’t know about, unless the patient shares that information. If the doctor isn’t aware of these new medications, he or she could inadvertently give that patient improper medication,” he added.

According to Butler Health System CIO Chuck Oleson, improved coordination of care among providers is also expected to reduce unnecessary testing, delays and costs, increase the use of preventive care and chronic illness management programs, and assist efforts to track and improve public health.

The importance of having this information available anywhere at any time cannot be understated, according to Diane Emminger, vice president of Information Services, Armstrong County Memorial Hospital. “When a person is asked in the emergency room what medications they are taking, they are often confused by generic versus brand names, and very few people know what dose they’re on,” she said. “Pittsburgh also has a large number of ‘snowbirds’ who spend winters down south, and it’s very important that their medical information is available to them.”

Patients who need more extensive procedures, such as a kidney or heart transplant, can have their information follow them from their neighborhood medical facility to a quaternary facility such as UPMC Presbyterian or UPMC Shadyside.

“What’s important to note is that this information flow goes both ways,” said Rodney Louk, CIO and vice president, Information and Ancillary Services, Washington Hospital. “Whatever specialized care is provided flows back to the patient’s primary care physician so that the most up-to-date information is available to all. For example, when a child is taken to Children’s Hospital for advanced emergency treatment, that information is then shared with his or her pediatrician in Butler, Beaver, Altoona, etc. Otherwise, that pediatrician wouldn’t have that information available unless the parent provided it.”

ClinicalConnect, which is expected to be one of the largest and most active HIEs in the state, will be implemented over the next two years, starting with a pilot at Heritage Valley. “Between now and July, we expect to build a very robust health information exchange,” explained David Carleton, vice president and CIO, Heritage Valley Health System. “We’ll soon be taking care of patients with information that we never had before.

“Within our member organizations, there are over 5 million patients who we’ve seen or treated who will benefit from this information exchange,” he added. “There are also a number of other organizations that have shown interest in participating in this very collaborative process.”

From the onset, protecting patient information was at the forefront of ClinicalConnect’s creation. “The founding partners of ClinicalConnect have worked together for nearly two years to plan this sustainable network for securely sharing health information,” said Dan Drawbaugh, senior vice president and CIO at UPMC. “Leveraging the technology investments made by all of our partners, ClinicalConnect goes above and beyond federal requirements for ‘meaningful use’ of electronic medical records. Our goal is to provide the kind of patient-centered, accountable care envisioned under health care reform and to create a model that can be replicated nationwide.”

Patients are able to ‘opt out’ of having their records shared among providers if they prefer. Each organization will also be providing their patients with educational materials and written privacy practices about how this information will be utilized.

“It’s up to all of us to educate our respective communities,” said Mitry. “As automation continues to evolve, it is our responsibility to make sure that the community understands the value of HIE and the liability issues that they have by not participating.”