The coming year promises to be full of new developments for Hixny—and for our peers across the state. Although we don’t have a crystal ball, we can tell you that improving user experience and ensuring that Hixny is supporting the changing needs of the healthcare community remain our top priorities in 2022. Here are just a few of the efforts we’re pursuing.
The Potential for a New Consent Model
The Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) has identified an opportunity to simplify the consent model for both patients and providers, saving time in providers’ workflows and improving the ability to share data more widely across state lines. This could also increase participation by organizations that belong to networks operating in multiple states.
Right now, each provider asks each of their patients for consent to use their connected health information exchange (HIE) to access the patient’s records; 95 percent say yes and the provider proceeds to access their records. This process is repeated at every facility the patient visits.
After much evaluation of alternative models, the SHIN-NY is planning to shift to a broader consent model in 2022. In the proposed new model, the first time a patient has contact with any provider, that provider will ask for the patient’s consent for all of their providers now and in the future to view their records using the SHIN-NY.
If the patient has previously granted affirmative consent, every provider who sees the patient from that point on either has access to their files through the HIE or only needs to ask for consent if the patient hasn’t already granted access during a prior encounter. Not only does this positively impact in-person appointments, but telehealth and EMS providers and, potentially, federal or multistate networks such as Veterans Administration facilities that can’t currently access data from the SHIN-NY.
The SHIN-NY is working to implement a standard statewide rollout as quickly as possible. Our team will be moving rapidly to facilitate that effort. We anticipate it may take some time for all providers to implement the new model and get comfortable with the small shift in workflow that may be required. Ultimately, we see this change providing significant benefit to patients, who will find that their providers can share even more information, more seamlessly, to increase their quality of care and control their costs.
Integrating Clinical and Social Care
For many years, providers have worked closely with community-based organizations that provide services and support for patients whose living situation, economic concerns or other factors have a negative impact on their health.
To this point, there hasn’t been a way for a provider interacting with Hixny to identify these organizations and make a referral to them within the context of the HIE itself. That’s especially important for providers who may not have pre-existing relationships with these resources.
Working with funds from a SHIN-NY grant, we have teamed up with a small pilot group of Hixny participants to develop a referral directory that will enable users of Hixny’s snapshot application to make social care referrals using existing community networks and resources. Our goal is to begin rollout of this capability by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
Increasing Claims Data Availability
Over the last several years, we’ve looked for ways to help our participants gauge medication adherence and care management success by increasing the claims data flowing through Hixny from existing partners. This is critical because clinical data tells members of the care team what the care plan was—but prescription claims prove medication adherence, while clinical claims prove the completion of medical services follow-ups.
Now, the state has worked with industry security experts at HITRUST to create a specific regulatory factor that will allow Hixny and other HIEs who achieve this more rigorous certification to gain access to Medicaid claims. They’ve done this in part to align HITRUST certification with existing New York State standards established for the use and access of Medicaid data.
We, in turn, will be doing everything we can to prepare for this potentially transformative federal and state integration of information. That starts with achieving an expanded HITRUST certification that includes all of these new New York State-specific regulatory factors.
Focusing on Snapshot Implementation and Use
The patient record snapshot that launched within our provider portal last year has now been integrated into the Cerner and Epic electronic health records (EHR) systems as an app, and will launch soon on additional platforms.
Our goal for 2022 is to get the app into all eligible organizations. We’ve learned that those facilities that have implemented the app demonstrate much broader access to Hixny and much higher use of the HIE—which translates to improved quality of care and patient satisfaction, as well as reduced costs.
We are also investigating numerous ways we can surface even more benefits for patients and providers through the snapshot. We hope to be able to launch more capabilities in the coming year—and to improve user experience. Throughout the year, we’ll be evaluating use statistics and user feedback to make incremental improvements as the opportunities arise.
Be part of Hixny’s future
Contact rcraven@hixny.org to register your organization as one of our pilot participants or beta testers. We’ll give you the opportunity to try out new functionality before it launches.
