The Value of Modernizing Health Records 

The healthcare industry lags behind other industries when it comes to information technology.  A priority at Quality Quest is to modernize health records and provide greater access for consumers to their health information and history.  Establishing the standardized use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) throughout the region is a necessity.  Widespread adoption of EHR allows for healthcare consumers to access their own personal health history in a comprehensive record.  Nationwide this type of medical record is the new standard in healthcare, as well as a requirement for physician practices which are seeking to meet the federal government’s Meaningful Use Guidelines.

EHR                          

Quality Quest has been designated as a satellite office for the Illinois Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (IL-HITREC) for the central region of Illinois.  The primary purpose of the regional extension center is to assist primary care physicians associated with smaller clinical practices, federally qualified health centers, and rural critical access hospitals, with their selection and implementation of certified electronic health record (EHR) systems.  Quality Quest is able to provide the technical expertise and assistance that many practices will require to make this transition.  In fact many practices are actually eligible for subsidized assistance in making this change from outdated paper records to EHR.

Why is EHR a better standard of care?   

Electronic Health Records represent the most complete form of health records available today.  The completeness of the record means that each physician you deal with has the most accurate, up to date history of your health.  With paper records, the likelihood of missing or incomplete information is much higher, causing the need for costly delays, or raising the possibility of medical errors taking place.

With EHR, the centralized nature of the record means that searching and compiling your health history is no longer a matter of tracking down hard to access information and waiting for it to be delivered.  It is important to remember though, that for all of the convenience that EHR offers, its true value is in providing complete health histories that can drastically reduce diagnostic medical errors.  Simply put EHR is safer than the current system.

IL-HITREC Services Information

                        --Does my primary care practice qualify for EHR assistance?

                        --Meet IL-HITREC Central Satellite Office Team     

                        --Read the FAQ about IL-HITREC here

                        --What is meaningful use, and how does it affect my practice?

                        --IL-HITREC Homepage

 HIE 

A second major part of modernizing health records involves how they are accessed.  Once a comprehensive electronic health record exists, its true value lies in being accessed for healthcare purposes, even when outside of one’s home area, or when using the services of multiple providers.  In order for providers to securely share patient information, a dedicated network must be in place to allow secure access from multiple points.  This network is known as a Health Information Exchange (HIE).  Around the country, HIE networks are being formed to allow for this type of secure exchange of health information, and Quality Quest for Health is at the forefront of this effort in central Illinois.

Quality Quest incubated the creation of the Central Illinois Health Information Exchange (CIHIE), to assure that Illinois is part of the future of improved health care value and service.  To learn more about CIHIE, click here. 

Is my health information Secure?

This is the number one concern that patients have with electronic records, and the great news is that health information is even more secure, within an HIE than with paper records.  Patient confidentiality is regulated by law, but with paper records it is much harder to know who has accessed a file.  Electronic Health Records (EHR) accessed through an HIE require that a health professional have permission to access a file, and leave a record of when that file has been accessed, and by whom.   Though the new information is much more quickly accessed during your health visits, it is far more secure in its electronic form.

             --What is an HIE and why do we need it?

            --How has the State of Illinois been involved in planning HIE?