– Includes reporting on COVID-19 test results. –
ALBANY, N.Y. Hixny announced today that it is has enhanced its reporting capability to include gaps in care and quality indicator categories while also broadening availability to help more providers move toward a value-based model of care. Until now, the reports have focused on a handful of conditions and recommended screenings, but with the improved capabilities and new categories, more conditions and corresponding tests have been added—including COVID-19.
“We recognize that the healthcare community is intensely focused on the coronavirus right now,” said Mark McKinney, Hixny’s CEO, “so we wanted to make sure that when we released this new reporting capability, we included an efficient way for physicians to access COVID-19 data.”
Hixny’s reporting pulls near real-time data from the entire healthcare community and then uses that to filter each provider’s patient population. Patients are placed within actionable categories based upon most recent medical history, known conditions and recommended standards of care. This accurate and up-to-date information allows providers to quickly identify next steps for higher risk patients.
COVID-19 test results are updated daily, allowing physicians to quickly identify which patients are in need of immediate care. Additionally, results are available dated back to March 1, so physicians may monitor the status of their entire patient panel, even those who may have been diagnosed and since recovered.
“We’ve been able to avoid duplicating costly and uncomfortable tests for our patients,” said Dr. David Skory, an Ob/Gyn and Internist with Whitney Young Health—one of the organizations selected to help pilot the enhanced reporting capabilities. “In one example, I wanted to identify which of my patients needed a mammogram. I compared our electronic medical records (EMR) to the report available through Hixny that shows which of my patients have had their recommended breast cancer screening. Hixny’s quality indicator ‘Compliant’ report reflected over 100 mammograms that our EMR showed as missing or overdue.”
Beyond patient care, the reporting is useful when it comes to measuring mandated care quality standards by identifying those patients who are due for preventative screenings such as blood pressure readings for hypertensive patients or HbA1c tests for diabetics. Providers can also use the reports labeled as “quality indicators” to track performance toward benchmarks established by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), in addition to tracking adherence to performance-based contracts.
“The way we’re presenting existing data to providers is powerful,” said McKinney. “At a glance, providers can identify the needs of their patients—including in acute situations, like that we are facing with COVID-19—while also understanding how they’re measuring up to required standards of care.”
About Hixny
Hixny is the nonprofit electronic health information network (HIN) serving residents and the healthcare community in New York’s 28 eastern counties north of New York City. Its secure technology allows people to contribute and use health records and the data they contain in real time, which improves consumers’ knowledge of their own records; ensures that providers have the details they need to provide high-quality care; and forms the foundation of effective population- and community-level health initiatives. Hixny is a nationally recognized leader in HIN technology innovation.
