HealtheConnections, a Syracuse, N.Y.-based regional health information organization (RHIO), has partnered with eHealth Technologies to offer providers the capability to exchange radiological images.
HealtheConnections, which supports health information exchange for 11 counties of central and northern New York, is collaborating with eHealth Technologies, a Rochester, N.Y.-based company that develops image-enabled health information exchange solutions, to provide the new capabilities across the care provider community.
Ready access to community radiology imaging studies is vital to accurately diagnose and treat patients. The sharing of imaging studies across health care providers has been costly and time-consuming requiring manual intervention for patients and providers, according to a joint press release from both organizations.
HealtheConnections and eHealth Technologies have enabled access to imaging studies available in its HIE for downloading and collaborative sharing with providers’ own radiology systems (referred to as PACS: A picture archiving and communication system). This capability called “Transfer-to-PACS” is designed to alleviate the inefficiencies associated with sharing imaging studies, and is now available to HealtheConnections’ users through eHealth Connect Image Exchange.
“Transfer-to-PACS is embedded as a core capability of the HIE, removing time-consuming manual steps needed to access, download and share images amongst providers,” Gary Larson, executive vice president and general manager, HIE Solutions, eHealth Technologies, said in a prepared statement.
By embedding image exchange within HIE services, HealtheConnections provides hospitals and imaging centers with access to all imaging studies for patients across Central New York.
Rob Hack, president and CEO of HealtheConnections, says the HIE organization receives more than 200,000 imaging studies a month from 29 hospitals and independent radiology centers. “The ability to review, share and – now download – imaging studies is a valued service to our providers. It improves efficiency, resulting in better patient care,” Hack said in a statement.
“Since implementing Transfer-to- PACS, our workflow has become more efficient than ever,” Obie Burger of K&A Radiologic Technology Services Inc., said in a prepared statement “There is no more time wasted while waiting around for images to be sent to our office on discs. Instead, we can pull up prior results in the HIE and compare them immediately to the new images—it must save me three hours per day. This has made such a tremendous positive impact on the quality of care we provide to our patients.”
