AtlantiCare HealtheYou - Health Information Exchange (HIE)
AtlantiCare recently joined the Keystone Health Information Exchange (KeyHIE®) which uses health care technology to allow hospitals, doctors and other health care providers to electronically share health information with each other in a secure, timely manner. This health information may include your test results, x-rays, examination reports, diagnoses, prescriptions, demographics and more. Making health information available through KeyHIE® helps the variety of health care providers and sites providing your care to share information to better care for you.
How Does the HIE work?
Each time you visit a participating provider’s office, the results of your visit are stored electronically. An updated summary of your health conditions, medical and surgical history, laboratory results, imaging results, current medications and allergies is automatically passed to the KeyHIE®. That information then becomes almost instantaneously available to any authorized provider participating in the KeyHIE® who is involved in your care. The next time you see a participating provider, he or she may access your current information through an HIE.
What are the advantages of participating in the HIE?
There are many advantages to participating. They include:
- Your information will be easily accessible at all your providers’ offices participating in the KeyHIE®. There will be no need to offer demographic information at each visit, even when seeing a new provider.
- If you are seriously injured or unconscious, your medical history will be readily accessible to KeyHIE® providers.
- Since providers participating in the KeyHIE® can quickly access your test results performed at other locations, there will be no unnecessary duplication of tests.
- There is no significant wait time to view results of laboratory tests or imaging results as sometimes occurs when waiting for a paper report.
- Providers participating in the KeyHIE® will be able to make more information decisions about your care and treatment with access to the most current health information.
- Your physicians will see a more complete picture of your health, and can coordinate care more efficiently for you.
- Your health information is available to participating KeyHIE® providers where and when they need it without delay.
How will my information be used?
Medical information obtained through the KeyHIE® will be used for treatment, payment and operations reasons only. Policies that follow federal and state law limit how your information can be used or disclosed through the KeyHIE®. The HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices from your health care provider explains in detail how and why your information is used.
Who can access my records?
Only your providers who are treating you and their associated staff who are specifically given rights to the KeyHIE® can access your records through the AtlantiCare HIE. For example, if one of your providers participates in the KeyHIE®, he or she can access your health information maintained by other providers who also participate in the KeyHIE® .
Other “Connected HIEs”
AtlantiCare will be creating secure “connections” to other community based HIE networks like AtlantiCare’s. These HIE connections could benefit you if you have health providers both in the AtlantiCare HIE and in another HIE network.
For example, if you are being treated by two doctors – one who is in the AtlantiCare HIE and another who participates in a different HIE, your two doctors could share your medical information through a secure connection between the two HIEs to better coordinate your care. Connections with other HIEs could have a positive impact on your overall health care.
However, the AtlantiCare HIE will not connect to another HIE unless it meets AtlantiCare’s high standard for privacy and security.
How secure is KeyHIE®?
AtlantiCare considers patient privacy and health information security our highest responsibility. KeyHIE® is protected by the most advanced and secure technology available. Only authorized individuals using passwords have access to KeyHIE® and your information can only be seen by healthcare providers involved in your care.
Special technology features are used to keep your information secure and prevent your records from being accessed by anyone who is not supposed to have access to your information. All health information is encrypted (scrambled or encoded) when it is stored and transmitted. KeyHIE® has added safeguards, such as audit logs, that keep track of who accessed your records, and when. The system adheres to federal and state laws ensuring privacy of health information.
Even with all these security protections in place, if improper access does occur through KeyHIE®, the law requires that you be notified and AtlantiCare will take steps to correct the problem.
How do I sign up?
There is no need to do anything further – your health information is already on KeyHIE®, and is accessible by your authorized AtlantiCare participating providers.
However, if you do not want your health information maintained on KeyHIE® to be electronically accessed, you must submit a completed AtlantiCare KeyHIE® Opt-Out form that can be downloaded here.
If you previously submitted a KeyHIE® Opt-Out but now have changed your mind, you must complete a Revocation of Prior KeyHIE® Opt-Out form, which can also be downloaded here.
How can I learn more?