ATLANTA, GA - Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN) has been approved as the State-Designated Entity for the State of Georgia Health Information Exchange (HIE). The request was made by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) and gives GaHIN greater freedom in pursuing funding opportunities.
The request was approved in September 2015 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Governor Nathan Deal approved the designation earlier in February.
“We appreciate the confidence shown in GaHIN by Governor Deal and by DCH,” said Denise Hines, executive director of GaHIN. “With our new status, we will be able to more aggressively pursue grants that allow GaHIN to deliver a broader range of services to healthcare providers throughout the state of Georgia.”
Established in 2009, GaHIN has successfully connected members consisting of regional HIEs, hospital systems, physician groups and individual practitioners. GaHIN currently has almost 20 million demographic patient records accessible to providers, each representing a single encounter with a healthcare provider. GaHIN is connected to the national eHealth Exchange and is also a member of DirectTrust, which enables its members to securely exchange information nationally with other providers who are using Direct. GaHIN’s products, Georgia ConnectedCare and GeorgiaDirect, help its members achieve Meaningful Use Stages 1 and 2.
About Georgia Health Information Network
Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a healthier Georgia by facilitating the use and secure exchange of electronic health information so providers have the information they need at the point of care. The result is improved quality of care, better health outcomes and reductions in cost. GaHIN’s two products, GeorgiaDirect (powered by Medicity(link is external)) and Georgia ConnectedCare (powered by Truven Health Analytics) connect providers statewide and nationally and are free for credentialed, authorized Georgia users. www.gahin.org
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GaHIN media contact: Lynn Hood, lhood@gahin.org, 678-427-5040