The timely exchange of patient health information has always been critically important to public health. The current pandemic has made access to patient data for public health even more critical.
 
Healthcare providers have been on the frontlines throughout the pandemic, responsible for screening and testing individuals for COVID-19. However, some providers are not at a stage where they are ready to exchange patient data. Smaller providers may not have the resources necessary to participate in the exchange of health information. Ironically, these healthcare providers are the very ones that could collect and share valuable information for public health because they may serve those who live in households with extended family members that make social distancing and following the other recommended precautions challenging.
 
The Solution
The Hawaii Health Information Exchange (HHIE) is poised to help providers share their data and provide access to real-time updates on COVID-19 cases. This will fill in the missing gaps in the exchange of health information and enhance the health and wellbeing of the community.
 
There are more than 5,000 providers licensed to practice in Hawaii. Each one has a significant role in helping to control the spread of COVID-19. However, when patients go to a hospital or mobile test center for a COVID-19 test, the test results may not be consistently shared with their personal care provider. This impedes follow-up care.

HHIE has begun to explore how the Hawaii Department of Health’s database of COVID-19 test results can be available for providers to improve patient care and to better control the spread of the disease. When patients go to a hospital or mobile test center for a COVID-19 test, the results can be made readily available to a primary care provider through HHIE’s system. This will require onboarding and training more providers and their staff on the use of HHIE’s system. This can include federally qualified community health centers, rural health clinics, independent practices, and Medicaid-certified providers. Watch for more details!

HHIE Fast Facts
 

Beginning Aug. 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requires all COVID-19 results to be reported with additional information for better contact tracing and to contain of community spread.

The data collected with the test results must include race, ethnicity, address, zip code, and pregnancy status (for females) and must be submitted within 24 hours of specimen collection.
 
“It is important for all providers to capture complete information and provide the information to the downstream system, whether it’s HHIE, a lab or other ancillary services,” said Francis Chan, CEO of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange.
 
The Hawaii Health Information Exchange is collaborating with the Hawaii Department of Health and our laboratory partners to leverage the Community Master Patient Indexing system to securely comply with these new requirements.

Van Balera Joins HHIE as a Clinical Application Specialist

We are glad to welcome Van Balera to the HHIE ohana as a clinical application specialist. She reports to Dr. Rebecca Burton, medical director of the organization.

“Having access to patient health information has always been critical to timely, quality care. The pandemic has elevated the importance of this even further,” Dr. Burton said. “Van’s extensive background in working with providers makes her a valuable addition to our team, especially during this challenging time.”
 
Van assists healthcare providers with using their electronic medical record systems to access and exchange patient health information. She also educates providers on how to use HHIE’s electronic tools to refer patients to the other providers and to receive real-time updates on their own patients, including lab results, current list of medications, and admission, discharge or transfers from a hospital or other healthcare facility. She is also responsible for informing providers and their staff about privacy and security, protecting patient health information and trends in health information technology.
 
Van has more than 10 years of experience working as a certified medical assistant. Before joining the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, she had been a certified medical assistant with The Queen’s Health Care Center in Kapolei since 2015. She also served as a certified medical assistant for a private-practice physician, Naval Health Clinic Hawaii in Pearl Harbor, and Straub Clinic & Hospital.
 
The Waianae resident is a graduate of Waianae High School and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in technical management with a concentration on health care services management from DeVry University College of Business and Management. She is trilingual, capable of speaking English, Vietnamese and Chinese.