Atlanta, Georgia - Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN), the statewide health information exchange (HIE), announced today that Georgia Health Connect (GaHC), a regional HIE serving smaller practices, hospitals and health systems, is now fully integrated with its network, enabling greater access to electronic health information throughout Georgia.
A national leader in advancing the HIE model, GaHIN recently broke new ground by connecting with the South Carolina HIE – one of the first times two states have connected.
“We are pleased to welcome GaHC to the GaHIN network, which increases the ability of providers throughout the state of Georgia to easily and securely access patient information,” said Denise Hines, Executive Director of GaHIN. “Regardless of location, size and technology, providers in Georgia have the ability to decrease the cost of care by eliminating unnecessary costs, and increase the quality of care with longitudinal patient records.”
The GaHC and GaHIN connection greatly expands the potential for statewide provider communication and collaboration to help improve patient care, reduce potential medication and medical errors, streamline workflow and cut administrative costs. It also enables physicians to spend more one-on-one time with patients instead of tracking down records.
GaHC, powered by Liaison Technologies, is one of several regional HIEs in Georgia benefitting from GaHIN’s support and expertise, and can now provide access to comprehensive and up-to-date patient information throughout the state and nationally. GaHC was founded by the Georgia Regional Health Information Extension Center (GA-HITEC) at Morehouse School of Medicine. GaHC offers a user-friendly technology solution to healthcare providers typically operating in more rural and underserved areas. With GaHC, these smaller providers can achieve technology equality, with the same level of technology and support as their larger counterparts.
“GaHC is committed to helping providers located in rural and other underserved areas have access to comprehensive patient information and leading edge technology,” said Dominic Mack, MD, MBA, Executive Medical Director of GaHC and Co-Director of the National Center of Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. “Our user-friendly technology and clinical support services help smaller healthcare providers deliver better patient care while receiving the same benefits from technology as larger healthcare entities.”
GaHIN is dedicated to improving the quality and coordination of patient care with services that include:
- GeorgiaDirect – gives providers a personalized email address that allows them to securely transmit patient health information to other authorized healthcare professionals; and
- Georgia ConnectedCare – an innovative technology solution that enables providers to securely access a patient’s complete health record through their electronic health record (EHR) system.
In addition to GaHIN services, GaHC provides the network’s members with critical capabilities including electronic access to aggregated patient information as well as lab and radiology connectivity utilizing Liaison’s technology platform.
About Georgia Health Information Network
The Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the use and exchange of electronic health information to foster a healthier Georgia, improve patient-centered healthcare, increase efficiency and promote the health status of the entire state population. GaHIN’s purpose is to close the patient information gap across all care settings by electronically connecting disparate systems and data sources to support improved quality of care, better health outcomes and reductions in cost. www.gahin.org.
About Georgia Health Connect
Georgia Health Connect (GaHC) is a mission-based Service Area Health Information Exchange created by the National Center for Primary Care (NCPC) at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) [d.b.a. Georgia Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (GA-HITEC)] in partnership with Liaison Technologies. GA-HITEC was established within the NCPC at MSM and was awarded over $20 million by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in 2009 to furnish technical support to over 4000 of Georgia’s healthcare providers and 56 rural and critical access hospitals. www.gahealthconnect.org