Regional Health Information Network on the Way
Posted/updated on: June 10, 2011 at 2:24 pm
TYLER — FirstNet Exchange, a Tyler-based organization, has received a grant from the state of Texas to develop and operate a secure health information network for 37 counties in northeast Texas. The states ultimate goal is to develop a patient-centered network of electronic medical information that can be securely shared among authorized health care organizations and providers across the region, the state, and, eventually, across the nation.
According to a news release, FirstNet Exchange, a not-for-profit organization established in 1996 by the ETMC Regional Healthcare System, will be one of the states first health information networks. FirstNet Exchange will support and, in turn, be governed by hospitals and clinicians throughout northeast Texas. This system and others like it across the state and nation will eventually be linked to create a range of benefits for medical providers and patients, said Paula Anthony, CEO for FirstNet Exchange.
The purpose of a health information network, also known as a health information exchange (HIE), is to share medical information between physicians and hospitals on mutually-treated patients, Anthony explained. She said FirstNet Exchange will allow physicians and hospitals to quickly access necessary medical information that would otherwise have to be faxed or delivered manually. This could include, for example, information on allergies, current medications, recent lab tests and other diagnostic treatments.
Anthony added, An HIE such as FirstNet Exchange has the opportunity not just to speed treatment, but also to ensure that the most accurate and timely information is available to health care providers — wherever a patient is treated. Patients whose information is shared via the exchange will have the explicit assurance that all federal and state standards for privacy and security of confidential patient health information will be upheld.
FirstNet was created 15 years ago with the goal of connecting ETMC hospitals and physicians, but grew quickly over the years to provide a data exchange for numerous East Texas providers. Today, FirstNets stakeholders include 15 hospitals and over 600 physicians, and its exchange spans 21 counties.
Anthony feels FirstNet Exchange will offer key advantages in making the process of sharing health information a reality for East Texans. Our organization has a 15-year history of making it possible for caregivers in our region to share electronic health data, she explained. We are excited to extend these services to all providers in East Texas, and to offer the support needed to help doctors and hospitals link their electronic health records to the network. For those physicians that dont currently have electronic records systems, FirstNet Exchange will also offer a solution set that will help them meet their federally-defined meaningful use objectives, Anthony said. For more information, visit http://www.firstnetexchange.com or contact FirstNet Exchange at 800-328-1638.
