Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the nonprofit Rhode Island Quality Institute have announced the launch of an incentive program for Rhode Island primary care physicians to adopt and use CurrentCare, Rhode Island’s health information exchange. The program is designed to reward primary care physicians who are advancing health information technology and the health information exchange in the state.

Providers who use CurrentCare are able to see enrolled patients’ protected health information through a secure electronic network. By increasing access to information such as hospitalizations, lab results, allergies and prescribed medications, providers can improve their patients’ safety and coordination of care.

Furthermore, according to the press release, CurrentCare is the first health information exchange in the country to produce patient-hospital encounter notices statewide, which alert primary care physicians when their patients are admitted to or discharged from the hospital.

Under the incentive program, eligible providers may receive up to $10,000 in incentives per practice related to three key areas:

• CurrentCare enrollment – To qualify for incentives, primary care physician practices must enroll the greater of the following: at least 200 patients per affiliated primary care physician, or a number of patients equal to at least 50 percent of their Blue Cross members.
• Use of the CurrentCare Viewer and Hospital Alerts – Primary care physician practices can qualify for additional incentive if at least 75 percent of their staff is trained on the online portal known as CurrentCare Viewer, and if the practice enables CurrentCare Hospital Alerts.
• Implementation of a Direct Messaging Account – Direct messaging accounts allow for secure electronic communication between providers who use different electronic medical record systems.

“We are very excited about this program,” Jonathan Leviss, M.D., chief medical officer at the Rhode Island Quality Institute, said in a statement. “By creating financial incentives for providers who adopt CurrentCare, the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Incentive Program encourages improved patient care across the state.”