...A man arrives at the Emergency Department complaining of chest pains. He’s able to tell the doctors that he just had a successful heart procedure and was recovering well. It may only be heartburn, but since the procedure was done at a different hospital, he’ll still be admitted and have all his baseline tests repeated because his physician and his medical history aren’t available. But imagine that the Emergency Department doctor can log on to a secure network of health care facilities, locate the patient’s data and see the information needed to better evaluate him – all in a matter of seconds. He could be sent home after a short evaluation period and told to follow up with his cardiologist in a few days.

...A patient who visits a major hospital regularly for a chronic illness needs a heart procedure that can only be provided at a different area hospital. With a long medical history, how can the two hospitals make sure the doctors get the complete history they need, and the continuing care providers get the new data they will need? Currently, the only options are a cumbersome and error-prone paper and telephone exchange, or grappling with temporary remote access to a hospital’s entire patient database. But if both hospitals were participating in a health information network, the problem disappears. All the patient’s data would be available to both sets of doctors, up-to-date and as needed.

Protecting Your Privacy

As a regional health information organization (RHIO) in New York State, HEALTHIX is a not-for-profit corporation whose main mission is to govern the use of clinical data in the public’s interest and for the public good to improve health care quality and safety. The privacy and security of the clinical data flowing through the health information exchange is one of HEALTHIX’s primary responsibilities and, as such, the privacy and security of your personal medical records are taken very seriously by HEALTHIX.

HEALTHIX and its stakeholders have strict policies and procedures and up-to-date technology to protect your information from any unauthorized access or disclosure. The same federal and state laws that protect the information patients provide to their doctors also apply to HEALTHIX, with the same oversight, reporting and penalties.

What does this mean for you?

• Consent is the way healthcare providers get your permission to share your personal data with others involved in your care.
• Only if you choose to give your consent in writing are your doctors and others allowed to obtain access to your medical data and share it through HEALTHIX.
• Patient Consent Form - Each healthcare provider has its own patient consent form. A sample consent form is available in 16 languages
• Even when you have given consent, only those medical professionals who are involved in your care and who need to see your information are allowed access to your medical records

More information on making important decisions about participating in a health information exchange is available at ehealth4ny.org,  a consumer education project created by the Legal Action Center in collaboration with  New York's Department of Health and the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC).