By David Corrigan and Stephanie Salazar

[Video provided by Olomana Marketing LLC]

Media release by Hawaii Island Beacon Community:

Hawaii Island Beacon Community Launches North Hawaii Health Information Exchange
North Hawai‘i Community Hospital Receives $680,000 Contract

Hawai‘i Island Beacon Community (HIBC) has awarded a $680,000 contract to North Hawai‘i Community Hospital (NHCH) to implement a Health Information Exchange (HIE) system throughout the North Hawai‘i region, impacting more than 32,000 patients and marking the first step toward an island-wide HIE. Implementation has begun and will continue through 2012. NHCH’s existing vendor partner Wellogic® has already laid the technical foundation for the HIE, connecting information systems from NHCH; affiliated physician groups; two statewide labs; all pharmacies, radiology and imaging centers in the region; a national database of dispensed prescriptions; and a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).

“We are pleased to support the groundbreaking initiatives of NHCH to help providers in the North Hawai‘i region adopt and benefit from the latest technology in health care,” said Susan B. Hunt, M.H.A., project director and CEO of HIBC. “NHCH has pioneered the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) by North Hawai‘i providers and helped to achieve a nearly 95 percent adoption rate—one of the highest for any community nationwide. The region is more than ready to take the next step, and both patients and providers will benefit from the streamlined operations that a secure HIE system makes possible.”

“It’s an exciting breakthrough for health care in North Hawai‘i,” said William Park, M.D., chief medical officer and general surgeon at NHCH, who has championed the region’s HIE since the project’s inception. “Our partnership with Wellogic® has been very successful, and we have built up to a smooth launch. Through access to comprehensive, up-to-date patient information for providers and, eventually, patients themselves, care will be more efficient, more easily coordinated and more holistic.”

Wellogic® staff will be conducting training for all North Hawai‘i providers. In addition, HIBC staff, in partnership with staff from the Hawai‘i Pacific Regional Extension Center (REC), will continue ongoing support related to the adoption and use of EHR.

In addition to supporting and assisting with EHR and HIE implementation, HIBC is working to effect clinical transformation, particularly in terms of greater coordination of and access to care for patients who are most at-risk for chronic diseases, and conducting outreach by awarding $300,000 to the community in the form of Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Grants.

See the North Hawai‘i HIE Fact Sheet for more details on Wellogic® and HIE. See the HIBC Fact Sheet for more details on HIBC’s three major initiatives: 1) technology, 2) clinical transformation, and 3) outreach.

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Hawai‘i Island Beacon Community (HIBC) is a $16.1 million, island-wide, federally funded, collaborative project administered through the College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, working to improve health care on Hawai‘i Island. Through technology, clinical transformation, and outreach, HIBC is committed to improving the health of Hawai‘i Island residents and empowering them to be more actively involved in their own health. For more information, visit www.hibeacon.org.

North Hawai‘i Community Hospital (NHCH) is a rural 29-­‐bed acute care hospital located in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. Nonprofit, community owned and locally governed, the hospital opened in May 1996 and cares for Big Island residents and visitors. NHCH offers an extensive set of hospital services that are centered on patient needs, creating a healing experience for the whole person—mind, body and spirit. For more information, visit www.nchc.com.

Wellogic® provides industry-certified interoperability, point-of-care, and patient engagement solutions for connecting the health care community and enabling safety, efficiency and convenience in care delivery. With more than 15 years of experience facilitating meaningful interoperability and enhancing clincalworkflow, the company truly understands the complexity of health care. It has developed a depth of experience in solving some of the most challenging issues confronting the industry today. Wellogic®’s award-winning Web-based connectivity solutions for physicians and caregivers, patients, health systems and Health Information Exchanges are consistently recognized as the most usable, flexible and scalable solutions available, and are used daily to deliver safer, more cost-effective care for millions of patients.

For more information, visit www.wellogic.com.