Four upstate New York regional health information organizations (RHIOs) have announced new connectivity, which will allow for the secure exchange of electronic health records (EHRs) amongst Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany healthcare professionals. 

This new connected capability between the upstate RHIOs allows providers to securely share 5.4 million patient health records and links 110 hospitals in a 44-county region. This will support patients who seek medical attention outside of their region, move out of their region, or find themselves in an emergency outside of their region, in upstate New York.  Through this new connectivity, providers will be able to better coordinate care and reduce healthcare costs.

This new connectivity will allow healthcare professionals from each region to send and receive EHRs through secure and encrypted messaging, via each RHIO’s health information service provider (HISP) capability based upon the Direct Project protocol. 

The Direct Project protocol enables standards-based health information exchange in support of core Stage 1 meaningful use measures, including communication of summary care records, referrals, discharge summaries, and other clinical documents in support of continuity of care and medication reconciliation, and communication of laboratory results to providers.

HealtheConnections is the RHIO of Central New York that is responsible for overseeing the secure, electronic health information exchange that gives authorized, participating medical providers access to complete patient medical histories and information in real-time.

HEALTHeLINK, the Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, is a collaboration among the region’s hospitals, physicians, health plans, and other healthcare providers to serve the eight counties of western New York State.

Hixny connects more than 1.55 million people in 17 counties throughout the Capital District and Northern New York. 

And Rochester RHIO is a non-profit, community-run secure electronic health information exchange (HIE) that gives authorized medical providers access to test results, lab reports, radiology results, medication history, insurance eligibility, and more.