Health Information Exchange Connects to Indiana State Department of Health Immunization Registry

INDIANAPOLIS, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Indiana Health
Information Exchange (IHIE) has announced that it will connect to the Indiana
State Department of Health’s Children and Hoosiers Immunization Registry Program
(CHIRP). CHIRP is a secure, internet-based immunization registry operated by the
Immunization Program of the State Health Department.

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This connection will provide secure, seamless integration between IHIE and
CHIRP, eliminating a step for physicians and providing greater efficiencies for
the State Health Department. It will help physicians ensure immunizations for
their patients are up-to-date, in a non-intrusive and convenient manner.

“The State of Indiana is pleased to support Hoosiers and our healthcare
community so that patients receive the best care possible, while at the same
time taking advantage of efficiencies that only information technology can
provide,” said Chris Mickens, Chief Technology and Compliance Officer for the
Indiana State Department of Health. “We are fortunate to have a robust
healthcare technology infrastructure throughout the state, and this is just one
example of how Indiana is leading the way to transform healthcare.”

The IHIE/CHIRP connection supports physician and hospital efforts to reach goals
established by federal government policies regarding the use of health
information technology (health IT). The Health Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) of 2009 introduced incentives from
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for eligible healthcare providers
(EPs)and eligible hospitals (EHs) to adopt and attain ‘meaningful use’ of health
IT systems, in particular electronic health records (EHRs).

As part of Stage I of the HITECH Act’s ‘meaningful use’ provisions, in order to
qualify for these incentives, EPs and EHs must fulfill certain objectives. One
of these objectives is to electronically submit data to immunization registries.
Since IHIE has the capability to receive clinical results directly from EHRs,
this integration aligns with the needs of EPs and EHs to fulfill these, and
potentially other ‘meaningful use’ objectives, while at the same time supporting
the highest level of patient care possible.

In addition, the CHIRP/IHIE link will benefit the over 1,700 physicians who are
part of IHIE’s quality, preventive care and chronic disease care effort, called
the Quality Health First® Program. The program helps physicians care for their
patients by providing information so they can proactively manage the care they
provide patients, ensuring they are receiving recommended tests and screenings.
Given the new IHIE/CHIRP link, immunizations could play a bigger role in this
effort in the future.

IHIE and its partner, the Regenstrief Institute (Regenstrief) are working
together on the CHIRP connection. Regenstrief has a long history of working with
the State Health Department through the state’s Public Health Emergency
Surveillance System, which monitors emergency department visit complaints in
real-time so that disease outbreaks and other public health concerns are
identified and resolved as soon as possible. Over 100 emergency departments
throughout the state currently participate in this effort.

About the Indiana Health Information Exchange
Indiana Health Information Exchange, Inc. (IHIE) is a non-profit corporation
formed in 2004 by the Regenstrief Institute, private hospitals, local and state
health departments, BioCrossroads and other prominent organizations in Indiana.
IHIE is the nation’s largest health information exchange organization,
delivering clinical information to providers securely and efficiently, along
with providing information to assist providers as they care for patients needing
preventive care and management of chronic diseases. An IHIE-led collaboration
(Central Indiana Beacon Community) is one of 17 national cooperatives to help
advance healthcare quality and efficiency. This collaboration will help
communities in Indiana identify opportunities to measurably improve patient
care. To learn more, visit www.ihie.org.

About Regenstrief Institute, Inc.
The Regenstrief Institute, Inc., an internationally recognized informatics and
healthcare research organization, is dedicated to the improvement of health
through research that enhances the quality and cost-effectiveness of health
care. Established in Indianapolis by philanthropist Sam Regenstrief in 1969 on
the campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Institute is
supported by the Regenstrief Foundation and closely affiliated with the I.U.
School of Medicine and the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County,
Indiana. Regenstrief Institute research scientists form a highly respected cadre
of health services researchers linked to one of the largest and most
comprehensive medical informatics laboratories in the world. www.regenstrief.org

Contact:
Jenny Siminski Cindy Fox Aisen
Amy Bukarica
Indiana Health Information Exchange Regenstrief Institute Indiana
State Department of Health
Office: (317) 644-1724 Office: (317) 274-7722
(317) 233-7315
jsiminski@ihie.org caisen@iupui.edu
abukarica@isdh.in.gov

SOURCE Indiana Health Information Exchange