Maryland, CRISP Announce Go-Live of Statewide Health Information Exchange

BALTIMORE, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) announced that Maryland has formally "gone live" with its statewide health information exchange (HIE).  HIE is the infrastructure that supports the private and secure flow of health information among physician practices, hospitals, labs, radiology centers, and other healthcare institutions.  Organizations that are now participating in the HIE include:

• Holy Cross Hospital
• Suburban Hospital
• Montgomery General Hospital
• Community Radiology (a RadNet partner)
• Advanced Radiology (a RadNet partner)
• American Radiology Services
• Quest Diagnostics
• Laboratory Corporation of America

The announcement is a major step towards the ubiquitous delivery of the right health information to the right place at the right time providing safer, more timely, efficient, patient-centered care.  Several more organizations will connect in the next few weeks.

"We at Holy Cross Hospital believe a statewide health information exchange can help make care safer and more efficient for Marylanders," said Kevin J. Sexton, President and CEO of Holy Cross Hospital.  "We are delighted to join CRISP, state government and other healthcare providers in getting Maryland to this important milestone."

Additionally, all 48 Maryland hospitals have recently committed to sharing data with the statewide HIE.  This commitment covers 11,175 in-patient beds, from Garrett County to the Eastern Shore.  

Other hospitals, physician practices, and clinics will be coming online before the end of the year, including many of the state's federally qualified health clinics, which predominantly serve Medicaid, uninsured and other underserved patients.  CRISP will also be expanding the kinds of data the HIE is able to exchange as participation grows, from today's hospital discharge summaries, lab results and radiology results to  medical documents that contain more complete medical information, sometimes referred to as continuity of care documents, or "CCDs."  

"Today's announcement, while exciting evidence of the hard work of numerous stakeholders, is not an endpoint.  Rather it's the beginning of a process which will give physicians new and more effective tools to provide the best care to their patients," said David Horrocks, President of CRISP.  

This summer, Lt. Governor Brown joined Governor Martin O'Malley to convene a roundtable forum of industry leaders and experts, including medical system presidents, hospital CEOs, state officials and other stakeholders to discuss health care reform and innovation in Maryland.  The governor has set a goal for the state to become a national leader in health information technology by 2010 by developing a safe and secure statewide HIE and promoting the adoption of electronic medical records among providers.  Maryland is well on its way to achieving that goal.

"This is a major step in developing an electronic system that protects individual privacy while improving the quality of health care and controlling costs," said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown. "Soon, every Marylander will be able to enjoy the benefits of having their critical medical information delivered with speed and accuracy to the point of care, avoiding medical mistakes especially in case of an emergency."

To learn more about CRISP and how it is enabling the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology in Maryland, please visit www.crisphealth.org.

About CRISP

CRISP is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide safer, more timely, efficient, effective, equitable, patient-centered health care to all Marylanders through health information technology.  With support from a broad coalition of stakeholders in the state's government, healthcare and technology sectors, CRISP has been designated Maryland's statewide health information exchange by the Maryland Health Care Commission; the HIE is currently being deployed.  CRISP is also serving as the regional extension center for health IT for the state of Maryland; the program's goal is to assist 1,000 Maryland priority primary care providers in becoming meaningful users of HIT by 2012.  CRISP is supported through the state's unique all-payor rate setting system and with federal grant funding.

SOURCE Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients