Two area hospitals scheduled to become part of nationally-recognized network.
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (September 12, 2007) – The Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) today announced that Howard Regional Health System and St.Joseph Hospital are positioned to become part of its clinical messaging service network, called the DOCS4DOCS® service. Both hospitals are located in Kokomo, Ind.
Howard Regional Health System is a two-hospital regional healthcare system based in Kokomo with outpatient locations in Peru, Tipton, Frankfort, Noblesville and Greentown. St.Joseph Hospital is part of the St.Vincent Health system, which is an 18 ministry system serving nearly every Indiana county and one of IHIE’s charter members.
“St.Joseph and Howard Regional are working with IHIE to implement the DOCS4DOCS service simultaneously,” said Dr. J. Marc Overhage, President and CEO of the Indiana Health Information Exchange and Director of Medical Informatics at the Regenstrief Institute, Inc. “This level of collaboration among hospital systems is unique and we are pleased that these two hospitals are putting the commitment to patients first. Kokomo is an example for other communities to follow.”
The clinical messaging service, called the DOCS4DOCS service, is a sophisticated, secure, Web-based service that delivers clinical reports such as transcription, radiology and laboratory to physician offices, replacing traditional delivery systems such as courier and postal mail. It was developed by the Regenstrief Institute and is run in conjunction with IHIE.
“This clinical messaging service reduces the time it takes to both interpret patient reports and take the appropriate action regarding treatment,” said James P. Alender, president and CEO of Howard Regional Health System. “By providing clinical reports to area physicians in a consistent format regardless of the point of origin, we are taking an important step in improving patient care and safety.”
“We at St.Joseph Hospital are excited to be a part of this project because it will increase patient safety and will allow physicians to have the ability to treat patients faster,” said Darcy Burthay, RN, MSN, president and CEO, St.Joseph Hospital. “This will all be accomplished due to the physicians and nurses having a patient’s test results right at the computer screen, no matter where they have been seen in the past.”
The clinical messaging service is one of the nation’s most respected clinical messaging services; 27 hospitals in Indiana are sending on average, in excess of one million messages each month to approximately 5,000 Indiana physicians, saving millions of dollars per year by eliminating duplicate tests and administrative costs.
In addition to St.Vincent Health, IHIE’s other charter hospitals and hospital systems are Clarian Health, Community Health Network, the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc. and Wishard Health Services.
About the Indiana Health Information Exchange
Indiana Health Information Exchange, Inc. (IHIE) is a non-profit corporation formed by the Regenstrief Institute, private hospitals, local and state health departments, BioCrossroads and other prominent organizations in Indiana. It is dedicated to providing clinical data and quality standards to assist providers and other relevant parties in achieving the highest quality patient care. To learn more, visit www.ihie.org.