Florida Hospital and Orlando Health, both located in Orlando, Fla., have partnered in a one-year pilot program that connects emergency department physicians at both healthcare facilities, according to an Orlando Sentinel news report.
The pilot program allows one facility's ED physicians to immediately access medical records, lab results and other information on patients that normally seek care at the other facility. This access to patient information allows ED physicians to immediately begin caring for emergency patients without the need to request information or draw up expensive medical tests, according to the news report.
The pilot program currently only extends to Florida Hospital and Orlando Health's EDs but will eventually reach every healthcare facility across Central Florida's seven counties, including outpatient facilities and physician offices. Six months into the pilot program, records for 750,000 patients were loaded into the computer system. By the end of the year, Orlando Health's CIO hopes to have that number up to 1.3 million patients.
Read the news report about the information exchange between Orlando Health and Florida Hospital.
Read other coverage about information exchange:
- Standards Committee Investigates Information Exchange Functions for EHRs
- Federal Meaningful Use Workgroup Goes to Work on Stage 2 Deadlines and Requirements
- Survey Shows Providers' Confidence in Achieving Meaningful Use, Despite Complicated Process
The pilot program allows one facility's ED physicians to immediately access medical records, lab results and other information on patients that normally seek care at the other facility. This access to patient information allows ED physicians to immediately begin caring for emergency patients without the need to request information or draw up expensive medical tests, according to the news report.
The pilot program currently only extends to Florida Hospital and Orlando Health's EDs but will eventually reach every healthcare facility across Central Florida's seven counties, including outpatient facilities and physician offices. Six months into the pilot program, records for 750,000 patients were loaded into the computer system. By the end of the year, Orlando Health's CIO hopes to have that number up to 1.3 million patients.
Read the news report about the information exchange between Orlando Health and Florida Hospital.
Read other coverage about information exchange:
- Standards Committee Investigates Information Exchange Functions for EHRs
- Federal Meaningful Use Workgroup Goes to Work on Stage 2 Deadlines and Requirements
- Survey Shows Providers' Confidence in Achieving Meaningful Use, Despite Complicated Process