Special Projects Fund

Project Title

Northern Adirondack Health Exchange

Grant Amount

$138,700

Priority Area

Special Projects Fund

Date Awarded

September 20, 2007

Region

North Country

Status

Closed

Website

http://www.amccares.org

To improve health care on an individual and community level, Health Information Technology (HIT) systems were fine-tuned for the northern Adirondack Region.

Specifically, a health exchange was established for Trudeau Health Systems and Adirondack Medical Center, with support from NYHealth. This communitywide electronic medical record (EMR) integration enabled these providers to create a comprehensive health record for patients across all of their organizations in this rural region—shared records where multiple service area providers could access pre-selected, pertinent patient health information, add information, and use the EMR to treat patients. Thus, the Health Exchange has allowed area health care providers to view and update shared patients’ medical records, allowing for more efficient patient care.

Adirondack Medical Center and Trudeau Health Systems—the area physician-hospital organization that comprises more than 90% of the physicians in Adirondack Medical Center’s service area—have been collaborating to implement health information technology with area health care providers, and to create a communitywide electronic medical record system. NYHealth funding will enable Adirondack Medical Center to complete the integration of the community-wide electronic medical record system.

In 2004, the Center received a federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality health information technology planning grant, which Trudeau Health Systems managed. The Center also received a HEAL New York (Healthcare Equity and Access Law) Phase 1 grant for a portion of its communitywide electronic medical record system.

The system will include patient data from more than 80% of the primary and specialty care patients in the service area and would enable providers to access pre-selected, pertinent health information, use it to treat the patient, and add information to records. The new system will improve the speed and quality of health care, preventive care and screening, clinical outcomes, and office efficiency.