Bridging Medicine's Electronic Gap

Staff | MD News | December 8, 2011

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 20% of seniors have five or more chronic conditions for which these patients visit an average of 13 separate providers and receive an average of 50 prescriptions. Given this statistic, how can the 13th physician safely and effectively treat a patient without the benefit of any prior medical information? As an industry leader, MedVirginia has proven itself adept at solving that riddle with its health information exchange (HIE) systems.

The concept of HIE is the electronic transmission of medical information, including diagnoses, laboratory and imaging results, and medications that historically were communicated in person or by courier, fax or phone. Most physicians and hospitals have invested in electronic medical record systems. However, as Michael Matthews, CEO of MedVirginia, explains the value of HIE as a tool emerges in providing a comprehensive picture of a patient’s health...