– HIN uses SMART on FHIR technology to better serve providers information needed for patient care. –
ALBANY, N.Y. Hixny announced recently the launch of a new capability within its provider web portal to serve providers the most important information on their patients at a glance. Calling it their patient record snapshot, the health information network (HIN) is using the feature to quickly deliver data that is critical to efficient and effective care.
“We’ve repeatedly heard from providers that while the data they can access through Hixny is more complete and comprehensive than what they can find in their own electronic health records, it’s not easy to find critical information quickly,” said Mark McKinney, Hixny’s CEO. “This helps solve that problem.”
Now when a provider searches for a patient record within Hixny’s web portal, they will automatically be shown the most recent, actionable information—including COVID-19 test results, gaps in recommended care and other quality indicators, previous and existing diagnosed conditions, clinical files and notes, lab and radiology results, immunizations and current medications. Providers can still click through for additional data.
Hixny has also said they are working with major electronic health record (EHR) vendors to make the patient record snapshot available on those platforms, as well. Substitutable Medical Applications, Reusable Technologies (SMART) on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) technology makes this possible—and greatly improves provider access to critical patient health information. Once the feature is available through EHRs, providers will search in their own system for a patient record, be shown Hixny’s patient record snapshot and then have the option to click through directly to Hixny to view the complete patient record. This has not been possible to this point, as providers need to log in separately to each system to view the information available in both.
“For years, we [HINs] have been limited by EHRs,” said McKinney, referencing a recent blog he posted . “But because of FHIR specifications being strongly promoted by the federal government to solve the problem of interoperability nationwide, we are beginning to gain serious traction. The patient record snapshot is just a scratch on the surface of the opportunities SMART on FHIR provides to support improvements in healthcare.”
The technology being used to power Hixny’s patient record snapshot—FHIR—is being more widely used and adopted across healthcare as it facilitates the seamless exchange of data across platforms. Use of the technology also helps Hixny and providers align to various directives made by the federal government’s Trusted Exchanged Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) over the past couple of years.
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 HIE technology innovation.
