Month: December 2018

How Does The Nations Largest State Health Information Exchange (HIE) Remain Federally Compliant

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In 2004, the state of Maine began work on a state health information exchange (HIE) in an effort to bring together disparate health care organizations, and meet federal calls to implement more effective real-time public health event monitoring and enable rapid response.

These included Maines four largest health delivery systems Central Maine Health Care, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Maine General Medical Centers, and Maine Health. Included was also an independent, mult-site primary care practice Martins Point Health Care and an independent rural hospital Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington.

Together, these health care organizations totaled some 15 rural and urban hospitals and approximately 2,000 physicians, which represented almost half of the total physicians practicing in the state of Maine. Once completed, all hospitals in Maine are expected to become part of the HIE helping to deliver care to the states 1.3 million residents.

Additionally, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has linked their public, statewide health information system with the HIE in an effort to automate the reporting requirements for their laboratory as required by Maine law.

In 2006, HealthInfoNet was developed in the state of Maine as an independent, nonprofit organization tasked to create, promote, and sustain an integrated, secure and reliable regional information network. This network was developed to deliver authorized, rapid access to patient health care information across numerous points of care. This state health information exchange is thought to be the nations largest statewide system using clinical data.

The ultimate goal of the HIE was to enable health care organizations to:

Enhance and improve the overall quality of clinical care

Minimize service duplication

Identify public health threats better

Improve administrative and clinical efficiency

Improve patient safety>

Increase and expand consumers access to their own health care information
The HIE is a collaborative effort between organizations dedicated to improving overall health care management through innovative solutions, including:

Orion Health Concerto Portal and Rhapsody Integration Engine

3M Health Information Systems Clinical data Repository and Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI)

DrFirst, Inc. Informational processes coordination
The state health information exchange is currently in the “demonstration” phase of development and implementation, but is expected to save the state of Maine $10.6M in 2010 and nearly $20M by the time complete implementation is realized in 2011.

Tips for Finding Home Healthcare for Elderly Parents

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Caring for elderly parents is difficult even in the best of times, and eventually you may have to come to the realization that you simply cannot do it on your own. Will you know where to turn when that time comes for you and your family?

Knowing the right questions to ask is vital to finding the right service that will suit your family’s needs. Your first step is assessing the necessary care level required. How much care do your parents need that you are not able to provide yourself? That involves medical, household and personal care too.

Regardless of where you decide to look for an in home caregiver, you should have a list of questions ready to ask them during your interview:

– Are you a certified care giver?

– Do you have professional training?

– Are you legally allowed to work in this country?

– Do you have any diseases or medical conditions that we should be aware of?

– What is your experience level?

– Is there anything about our care giving needs that you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with?

– What kind of work schedule are you expecting? Do you work weekends and/or holidays?

– Will you sign a contract?

– What are your references?

If you want to avoid the hassles of finding someone on your own, and having to manage the interviewing and background checks, you can work with a caregiver agency that can pair you with an appropriate professional. In that case, you will want to ask the agency the following:

– Are your staff certified?

– How long have you been operating as a staffing agency for care givers?

– Are supplies in included in the pricing for services?

Do You Need a Contract?

Whether you are working with an agency or have found an individual through a personal reference, you should never enter into a working agreement without a contract. It’s for your protection as well as the caregiver’s. Any contract for services should include:
– Your name and the caregiver’s name (and agency)
– Contact information for caregiver, including SSN
– Agreed-upon wages
– Work schedule with hours
– Permitted behavior
– Basic outline of expected duties and services
– Clause for termination
– Signatures of yourself, caregiver and an agency representative (if you use an agency)

Making Your Choice

When you have examined all your options and investigated all potential caregivers, take your time with the final decision. This will effect your elderly parents as well as your entire family, and it should not be a rushed decision. Research is very important to making that right choice.