Unique Residency Program Ensures Graduates Leave With HIE Experience
Date: October 28th, 2019Category: CORHIO e-NewsletterTopics: HIE, PatientCare 360
A coordinated effort including residents and attending physicians filling patient data gaps with health information exchange has increased their transitional care visits by 90%.
Rocky Vista Health Center is a state-of-the-art primary care medical facility, located on the Rocky Vista University campus in Parker, Colorado. The Health Center provides internal medicine, sports medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and psychology services for around 700 patients per month. Osteopathic medicine has an emphasis on primary care with a mind-body-spirit approach to medicine, including musculoskeletal manipulation and behavioral healthcare.
The Health Center is an outpatient clinic where internal medicine and neuromuscular residents get their practicing experience. They work in conjunction with Skyridge hospital and the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Rocky Vista University. The University has a campus in Colorado and a second campus in Utah.
“We take particular pride in preparing our residents to be agents of change who, through inquiry of practice improvement, are prepared to advance the science and art of medicine while creating the health care system of the future,” states the program’s website.
Part of this commitment is teaching residents to use the CORHIO health information exchange, which shows them the importance of having as much information on a patient as possible – and also the importance of electronically exchanging information with other providers and for quality reporting in value-based payment programs.
Value-Based Care Program
Rocky Vista Health Center participates in Colorado Care Partners, the HealthONE accountable care organization, managing a clinically integrated network to improve care and negotiate value-based contracting with payers. Participation in the CORHIO health information is encouraged by Colorado Care Partners, who also uses CORHIO data to inform practice quality metrics and patient care.
“Our attending physicians are involved in our metrics and teaching our residents how to provide cost-effective coordinated quality care for patients,” said Jennifer Badolato, Director of Practice Management, Rocky Vista Health Center. “We ensure when they’re done with their residency, they’ve received this piece that most residents don’t normally get exposed to. Because they are employees of our Health Center, they are trained and given access to the health information exchange.”
Improving Care Coordination
Rocky Vista Health Center is bidirectionally connected to CORHIO – they not only receive information matched to their providers directly into their Athena system, they also send their care summaries into the HIE. This has allowed their providers to be better informed when a patient is seen at another hospital or facility – and the staff can follow up with the patient. “This has increased our transitional care visits by 90% since July of this year,” said Badolato.
“Our largest patient population have chronic health conditions – ages 40 to 80 with chronic comorbid illness including diabetes, lung and heart conditions, traumatic brain injuries,” said Badolato. “So they need a higher level of primary care.”
The Health Clinic uses CORHIO to review new patient hospital discharges where one of their providers did not see that patient – or for patients transferring from another primary care office. “They have significant medical histories, so we review their recent hospital or emergency visits, imaging reports, lab results,” said Badolato. “I think CORHIO is the most fantastic thing. We love it - I think every office should have it. It has finally allowed our physicians to get the entire picture of the patient and take care of them as a whole.”