MidSouth eHealth Alliance Update - February 12, 2008

The MidSouth eHealth Alliance published its first newsletter in January of this year. The newsletter provides some background on the Alliance's recent work and data on our health information exchange in Memphis.

• Follow this link for a more current update (May 8, 2008)

Additionally, the CHCF report was cited today by the Health Affairs blog and makes mention of our work in Memphis.

• Follow this link to the Midsouth eHealth Alliance Newsletter
• Follow this link to the Health Affairs Blog reference

What can be said of the Exchange in early 2009?

• Security and confidentiality remain paramount. Use and participation is governed by patietn consent, data sharing agreements, and user agreements
• Information from the secure Web browser is used to care for 100 - 200 individuals today in most of Memphis' major emergency departments and a growing number of ambulatory settings.
• Over 2 million events can be accessed on over 1.3 million medical records or demographic files from over 900,000 unique individuals.
• Over 50 million laboratory tests are available, as well as discharge summaries, radiography reports, some medications, and a range of other clinical data elements.
• Annual costs are less than $3 per person per year.
• The Exchange remains committed to the care of every consenting individual without regard to health care coverage.

What are priorities for the year?

• The Exchange continues to work through integration with an array of ambulatory care systems and providers.
• The Exchange seeks to follow national guidelines to foster collaboration with other systems and exchanges in the region, the state, and the country.
• The focus of the Exchange remains identification of ways to improve the quality of care provided to individuals both by presenting valuable clinical information and studying. consumer-driven "version 1.0" markets where patients and providers can focus first on their care and secondarily on the complexities of reimbursement.