Georgia Health Connect Joins GaHIN, Georgia’s Statewide Health Information Exchange
Atlanta, Georgia (March 31, 2015) – 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
Media Contacts:
Lynn Hood, GaHIN, lynn@gahin.com, 678-427-5040
Carmen Hughes, GaHC /GA-HITEC, chughes@msm.edu, 404-752-1184 or 1-877-658-1990
Dominic Mack, MD, Morehouse School of Medicine, dmack@msm.edu, 404-756-8960
Joseph Martorano, Liaison Technologies, 415.741.8008, joseph.martorano@sparkpr.com