Thousands Of Denver-area Residents Will See Improved Health Coordination As 175+ Primary Care Physicians Join Colorado Health Information Exchange

DENVER, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Primary Physician Partners (PPP), the largest primary care independent practice association in the Denver metro area, along with their medical management company, Physician Health Partners (PHP), has connected their first of many practices to the CORHIO health information exchange (HIE). PHP is one of 32 Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) chosen to provide high-quality, coordinated care to more than 24,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the Denver area. CORHIO's secure HIE allows providers to receive vital patient information in a quicker and easier way, improving the level of care they are able to provide to patients.

Connecting to the HIE will allow the more than 175 primary care physicians in PPP to quickly and securely access their patients' information from hospitals, other provider offices and public health departments, such as lab results, X-ray, MRI and other imaging reports, physician transcripts, referral information, hospital discharge reports and newborn screening results. Having access to this information will help PPP physicians efficiently and accurately assess, diagnose and provide treatment to their patients.

The first PPP practice to connect its electronic health record, Allscripts, to the CORHIO HIE is Complete Family Medicine, a three-physician practice in Westminster. Throughout 2013, more than 175 primary care physicians in PPP will be connected to the HIE. 

"PPP is a longtime innovator in health care and being one of the first groups to connect to CORHIO's HIE further proves our dedication to moving health care forward," said Michael Archer, MD, PPP, board president and physician at Complete Family Medicine. "We made the decision as a group to invest in this technology, but ultimately it's an investment in our patients and their health."

The data provided through the CORHIO HIE helps the PPP providers with care coordination initiatives that are imperative to their goals of accountable and patient-centered care. The HIE makes it easier for providers to proactively follow up with their patients after hospital or specialist visits, which helps prevent medical complications and avoidable hospital readmissions. For individuals with chronic conditions, such as heart disease, asthma or diabetes, well-managed care coordination is essential to avoid unnecessary complications.

"Primary Physician Partners and Physician Health Partners are well-known for providing high-quality, evidence-based care to their patients," said Larry Wolk, MD, CORHIO's chief executive officer. "CORHIO is thrilled that thousands of people in the Denver metro area will benefit from improved care coordination as a result of PPP's providers joining the HIE. We're also pleased to be supporting PHP with their clinical data needs as a Pioneer ACO."

On a state level, there are currently 27 hospitals, 348 office-based providers, 28 long-term and post-acute care facilities, two behavioral health centers and two large medical laboratories connected to the CORHIO HIE. CORHIO is also in the process of expanding its network of health care providers and is actively working to connect two additional hospitals, more than 1,000 additional office-based providers, eight additional long-term and post-acute care providers and three behavioral health centers.

About Primary Physician Partners (PPP)
PPP is a primary care Independent Practice Association (IPA) comprised of family practice, internal medicine and geriatric physicians. These physicians are located throughout the metro Denver area with concentrations in the north and western areas. This IPA, in existence since 1996, was originally formed from Northern Health Partners and Superior Health Systems. PPP elects a ten-member Board of Directors that meets regularly.

About Physician Health Partners (PHP)
PHP works with more than 300 primary care providers in the Denver metro area to help coordinate and improve the health of patients by providing the right care, at the right time and in the right setting. They are one of 32 Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations in the U.S. chosen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to promote improved health outcomes while lowering the associated costs. Through their current contracts and partnerships, they provide health care services for approximately 100,000 patients within the Denver metro area Medicare, Medicaid and pediatric populations. PHP-affiliated physicians serve an estimated 600,000 patients. 

About CORHIO
CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, is dedicated to improving health care quality for all Coloradans through health information exchange (HIE). As the state-designated entity for HIE, CORHIO collaborates with health care stakeholders including physicians, hospitals, clinics, public health, long-term care, laboratories, health plans and patients to improve care collaboration through secure systems and processes for sharing clinical information. CORHIO is a not-for-profit supported in part by grants, including awards from the Colorado Health Foundation and from federal ARRA HITECH funds. CORHIO's technical infrastructure is built on industry-leading HIE technology developed and maintained by Medicity. For more information about CORHIO, please visit www.corhio.org.

SOURCE CORHIO