Indiana Health Information Exchange Announces New Quality Health First of Indiana Program; Program Expands Information Available to Physicians to Better Monitor Patient.INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE IHIE Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers (UK) ) continues to transform the healthcare delivery system by using innovative programs to help improve the health of patients and reduce costs. Today, IHIE is announcing a new program, called Quality Health First of Indiana. This community program will provide information to Indianapolis-area physicians to assist them in improving the quality and consistency of care they provide to their patients. It will also assemble information that will help reward physicians for improving the quality of care they provide their patients. Quality Health First combines medical and drug claims data from participating health plans with patient prescription drug prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, data, lab and test results from the Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC INPC ITU National Point Code INPC Internet Non-Profit Center ) database to create reports that physicians can use to better monitor and improve the health of their patients. IHIE received a $2 million gift from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation for clinical quality support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services . Anthem anthem [ultimately from antiphon], short nonliturgical choral composition used in Protestant services, usually accompanied and having an English text. The term is used in a broader sense for "national anthems" and for the Latin motets still used occasionally in Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Shield A US not-for-profit health care insurer that is a reimbursement intermediary for physicians. Cf Blue Cross. also provided funding to help develop this new program. In addition to Anthem, other participating health plans include M-Plan, MDwise and Medicare, which, combined, represent over 700,000 Indianapolis-area residents. Participating medical groups include Clarian Health Partners, Community Physicians of Indiana, IU Medical Group, Methodist Medical Group, St. Francis Medical Group, St. Vincent Physician Network and The Care Group. The program is actively seeking to expand participation and discussions are ongoing with other health plans. The program's architecture was developed under the auspices aus·pi·ces 1 n. Plural of auspex. auspices Noun, pl under the auspices of with the support and approval of [Latin auspicium augury from birds] Noun of the Employers Forum of Indiana. The Forum, of which IHIE is a member, is a coalition of employers, health plans, physicians, hospitals, public officials and other stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. that share the goal of improving the value purchasers and patients receive for their health care dollar. During this planning phase In amphibious operations, the phase normally denoted by the period extending from the issuance of the order initiating the amphibious operation up to the embarkation phase. The planning phase may occur during movement or at any other time upon receipt of a new mission or change in the , the Forum achieved a broad consensus among physician groups, payers, employers and other stakeholders as to the specific measures that will be used in the program and an inclusive process by which the program will be governed. IHIE is now working with these constituents to more fully develop the reports and to test their accuracy. This phase of the Quality Health First program is expected to last through mid-2007. "There's no question that the ability of a physician to deliver better quality health care depends on the kind of information they are receiving about their patients," said Dr. J Noun 1. Dr. J - United States basketball forward (born in 1950) Erving, Julius Erving, Julius Winfield Erving . Marc Overhage, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of IHIE. "With the health care system so fragmented, this program will help provide a more comprehensive picture of the patient and their current health status so that physicians can appropriately chart a course of action that will create better outcomes." After the accuracy of information is verified, participating health plans will reward physicians on specific patient improvement measurements rather than solely on the quantity of services they provide. However, physicians will not be held to a single performance standard, which skews the advantage towards physicians with a healthier patient population. Measurements used in the program will represent a consensus of judgment among physicians, health plans, employers and other stakeholders, all of which are represented by the program's inclusive governance structure. "If we are to build a better performing health system, we need to improve the flow and transparency (1) The quality of being able to see through a material. The terms transparency and translucency are often used synonymously; however, transparent would technically mean "seeing through clear glass," while translucent would mean "seeing through frosted glass." See alpha blending. of information in the health care arena and we must reform our payment systems so that the interests of patients, employers and providers are in better alignment," said Dr. Gregory Larkin, Chairman of the Forum. "We believe that Quality Health First is an important step in this process." Much of the existing infrastructure necessary for this innovative program is already in place in the Indianapolis-area through efforts like IHIE, the Regenstrief Institute The Regenstrief Institute, Inc. is a private, non-profit research organization affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM).[1] It was founded in 1969 by Sam Regenstrief[2]. , Inc. and the INPC. These entities enable this program to have immediate relevancy and provide the richest dataset possible. The sharing of claims data by the insurance companies provides an even more comprehensive patient record. Because of this, IHIE is able to assemble the kind of information that will help physicians deliver even better patient care. It is these kinds of unique partnerships that will enable communities to band together to improve the health of their population. The program will eventually expand to include primary care physicians located in other areas of the state and to specialty care groups. "The Fairbanks Foundation has supported many of the health information technology efforts in the Indianapolis-area," said Fairbanks Foundation President Leonard J. Betley. "We believe access to information is the key to unlocking the potential of our healthcare system." Quality Health First is expected to help reduce health care costs by reducing hospitalizations, complications and allowing for a better adherence to evidence-based medical practices. "IHIE is widely recognized nationally as the trendsetter trend·set·ter n. One that initiates or popularizes a trend: "The Golden State, ever the trendsetter, reformed its property tax" New York. for medical information exchange," said David Lee David Lee may refer to:
IHIE is among the first start-up enterprises formed through BioCrossroads, Indiana's life sciences initiative, in collaboration with regional hospitals, the Regenstrief Institute, and other prominent state and local health organizations. About the Indiana Health Information Exchange Indiana Health Information Exchange, Inc. (IHIE) is a non-profit corporation for sharing clinical information among healthcare providers and other health care entities. The company will use a sophisticated, secure information exchange designed to protect patient privacy while at the same time enhancing the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. www.ihie.com For information on the Employers Forum of Indiana, visit the Forum Page of www.hoi.com |
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