Unprecedented Gathering of Region’s Healthcare Leaders Brings Collaborative Agreement for Information Sharing

At the celebrative event, HSX executive director Martin Lupinetti honored the many contributors to the establishment of an HIE in the Delaware Valley.  He cited the efforts of the HSX board of trustees and the work of the HSX staff, as well as the many volunteer hours from personnel of HSX member entities — and, of course, the executive leadership of the hospital systems and healthcare plans that has supported and made possible this sharing of patient information for treatment purposes at the point of care.

Richard Snyder, MD, chair of HSX’s board and senior vice president and chief medical officer at Independence Blue Cross (Independence), reviewed the creation of HSX — from incorporation in 2012 and first data sharing in 2013 — as well as it technological accomplishments and current scale of data sharing in the medical service area.  Daniel J. Hilferty, president and chief executive officer of Independence, spoke of HSX’s unique nature, as an HIE built from the ground up on the collaboration of health insurers and providers, on the scale of a major metropolitan area.  The Office of the Mayor of Philadelphia sent a proclamation of support for HIE and HSX, which city representative Sheila Hess shared with the audience on behalf of the mayor.

 

Two healthcare providers using HSX data on a daily basis spoke of the benefits to patients and healthcare quality of information exchange: Paula Ostroff, RN, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and Christine Martinez, RN, Crozer-Keystone Health System, related their experience with the HSX hospital encounter notification alerts that permit them to intercede in care early to assure continuity and transitions that keep patients from experiencing another health event or additional complications — or returning unnecessarily to the hospital.

CEOs and senior executives electronically signed the commemorative HIE collaboration statement, as attendees watched on the big screen.  HSX also unveiled its new promotional tagline: “Caring means sharing.”

Signing the cooperative document were Independence Blue Cross , Jefferson Health, Penn Medicine, Main Line Health, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Health Partners Plans, Crozer-Keystone Health System, Holy Redeemer Hospital, Hahnemann University Hospital, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Temple Health, and Mercy Health System.

Press

Hospital, insurers sign collaboration pact for sharing medical records (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Health Info Deal Signed (Philadelphia Inquirer)