Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN) Officials Discuss
Exchange of Health Information with HaysMed

HAYS, Kan. (October 13, 2011) – Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN) officials were at HaysMed today to discuss the use of Health Information Networks (HIEs) in Kansas to share health information data.  HaysMed is testing data capabilities that allow exchange of secure clinical information between providers to help reduce duplication, lower costs and ultimately improve patient care.

HaysMed is the first hospital in Kansas to test electronically submitting data to the KHIN.  The long term goal is that all hospitals and providers in Kansas will be able to exchange secure health care information in order to improve health care delivery and efficiency by helping providers communicate better.

Health Information Exchanges (HIE) are successfully used throughout the country to improve communication among healthcare providers.  Vanderbilt has been involved in a health information exchange for 17 years first with an in house system that has evolved to the commercial product CareAlign.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009,  that included financial incentives for healthcare providers that attain Meaningful Use (MU) with their Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, has further spurred the adoption and use of HIEs.   

The mission of the KHIN is to improve health care quality, coordination and efficiency through the exchange of health information at the point of care utilizing a secure electronic network provided by a collaboration of health care organizations.  KHIN is working with Hospitals, Physicians, Consumers, Safety Net Clinics, Public Health and EMS to achieve this goal.

"We are excited to be part of the early testing of sharing secure records with healthcare providers in the state. Any way we can utilize technology to lower costs, increase efficiency, and ultimately provide better quality care to patients, is a priority," said Bill Overbey, Chief Financial and Information Officer at HaysMed.  "We will continue to work with our medical staff and others to determine the role HIEs play in providing better care for our patients."

The Topeka-based KHIN members include the Wichita Health Information Exchange, Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas Hospital Association.
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