Electronic Health Reporter

Community Health Centers (CHCs) serve as primary care providers, social support agencies and economic engines transforming their communities, one patient at a time. To help CHCs prepare for and successfully connect to the state’s HIE, The Massachusetts Health Information Highway, (The Mass HIway), The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (the League) with a CHC HIE Collaborative selected eMedApps, a healthcare IT interoperability consulting company specializing in EHR and HIE integration, as the lead vendor for developing CHC HIE connectivity.

CHCs recognize that state-wide collaboration delivers significant benefits to the care communities they serve, reduces costs and improves outcomes. Connecting to The Mass HIway promises to streamline the coordination of care and reduce costs, but presents IT challenges to CHCs state-wide. eMedApps is providing strategic direction and simplifying workflows, utilizing the CareBridge™ interface engine as well as technology built into the CHC’s EHR systems to connect to The Mass HIway and dozens of trading partners.

“The need for interoperable healthcare technology is critically important and necessary to address coordinated care and reduce costs,” commented Ellen Hafer, MTS, MBA, executive vice president and COO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. “Technology partners like eMedApps make it possible for CHCs across our state to improve connectivity with external partners – including local hospitals and other health care providers – building their access to patient information and reducing costs. Utilization of The Mass HIway will be transformational for physicians and care providers and our partnership with eMedApps will make our HIE goals a reality.”

Joining thousands of providers who employ eMedApps’ optimized solutions across their respective enterprises, Massachusetts CHCs will benefit from modular, secure, ONC-certified interface technology, implemented by eMedApps’ experts in mission-critical health IT and workflow solutions.

The Partnership for Community Health Provides Funding Foundation
In 2014, the Partnership for Community Health, an initiative of Neighborhood Health Plan and Partners HealthCare in partnership with the League, awarded $6 million in grants for CHCs throughout Massachusetts as part of its Excellence and Innovation round of funding. The resulting collaborative grant projects help participating CHCs improve services that are shared across health centers and allow greater collaboration on large-scale technology projects, including connecting to The Mass HIway.

The Mass HIway acts as a Health Information Exchange (HIE) between organizations and offers doctors’ offices, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare organizations a way to securely network and seamlessly transmit patient data electronically. The state requires all medical providers become part of an HIE connected to The Mass HIway by 2017 to improve the speed, quality, safety and cost of patient care in Massachusetts.

eMedApps provides the League’s participating CHCs with customized technology and services including:
• Strategic guidance for connecting with trading partners and The Mass HIway.
• Robust integration technology to connect members securely to any healthcare system or HIE.
• Professional integration services and guidance to overcome workflow challenges.
• The CareBridge ONC-certified interface engine to share data with public reporting agencies, meet regulatory requirements and optimize workflow.
• Standards-based health data exchange workflows that support traditional and non-traditional care settings such as community center programs and YMCAs.

About Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
Established in 1972, The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers is the statewide primary care association representing and serving the needs of the state’s 49 community health centers through grassroots advocacy; technical assistance with state and federal health regulatory and policy issues; promotion and management of clinical quality initiatives; training and education for administrators, clinicians and board members; support for health center technology development and quality reporting systems; and work with local health advocacy organizations seeking to open health centers in their communities. The League also serves as an information source on community-based health care to policymakers, opinion leaders, and the media.
About eMedApps
Founded in 1999, eMedApps delivers patient-centric and vendor-neutral integration, interface, and business continuity solutions to healthcare delivery organizations across the U.S., enabling improved quality of care, increased EHR efficiency, and interoperability within and across the connected enterprise. With an ONC-ACB Certified Interface Engine and extensive industry expertise, eMedApps’ Care Connectivity Platform™ is compatible with all major EHR vendors. Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill. eMedApps has offices in San Diego, Houston, and Boston. Visit www.emedapps.com or call (847) 490-6869 to learn more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

CareBridge is a trademark of eMedApps. All rights reserved.