SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Integrated Data Exchange (Cal INDEX) and Inland Empire Health Information Exchange (IEHIE) today announced a planned merger that will create one of the nation's most comprehensive nonprofit health information exchanges (HIEs).

Claudia Williams, former White House technology senior advisor, will lead the new organization as CEO, effective February 1, 2017. The merger, subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2017 and will operate as a tax-exempt public benefit corporation under a new name.

The new HIE will combine the 11.7 million claims records from Cal INDEX founding members Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross with the 5 million clinical patient records of IEHIE and its 150 participating partners. HIEs help improve the quality of the patient experience, support collaboration and coordination and improve efficiencies by making it easier for doctors, hospitals and other care providers to securely review, analyze and share medical information across the healthcare system.

"The creation of this new statewide health information exchange by IEHIE and Cal INDEX is an important milestone in transforming California's healthcare system into a coordinated system that delivers higher quality and more efficient care to all Californians," said Dr. Bradley Gilbert, Chairman of the IEHIE Board of Directors. Mark Savage, Chairman of the Cal INDEX Board of Directors and director of health information technology policy and programs for the National Partnership for Women & Families, added: "Claudia is the ideal candidate to lead this new entity. She is a strategic and transformational leader with national experience managing and scaling health information exchanges. With Claudia, California's statewide HIE gets the rare combination of breadth and depth."

Williams brings more than 25 years of healthcare technology experience to the role, most recently as senior advisor for Health Innovation and Technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Prior to the White House, Williams was the Director of HIE for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. She earned an M.S. in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health and a B.A. in political science from Duke University.

"Claudia's track record of developing strategic partnerships with technology, provider, consumer and health plan leaders will be invaluable as Cal INDEX and Inland Empire HIE add new partners and bring value to providers and patients throughout the state," said Dr. Gilbert.

Click here to view infographic: State healthcare information exchanges based on number of medical records (in millions).

"I'm thrilled by the opportunity to lead the new organization and collaborate with our partners to improve patient care for all Californians," Williams said. "Our goal is to deliver compelling products and services that support California's hospitals, providers and patients in their efforts to improve care coordination, reduce inefficiencies, address gaps in care and enhance patient experience."

About Cal INDEX
Cal INDEX is an independent, nonprofit organization that is developing a statewide HIE. This uniquely comprehensive collection of electronic patient records includes clinical data from healthcare providers and health insurers combined into a single longitudinal patient record. Cal INDEX's technology platform provides hospitals and physicians with real-time access to a patient's vital healthcare information. This innovation will improve the quality of patient care, improve the efficiency of delivering and coordinating care, and reduce the cost of healthcare services. Cal INDEX was founded through seed funding from Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross.  For more information, visit www.calindex.org.

About Inland Empire HIE
IEHIE's mission and vision is to achieve continuity of care in the Inland Empire and other communities by aligning providers and patients to securely exchange health information in a trusted and timely manner. The Inland Empire Health Information Exchange (San Bernardino & Riverside) works with other California county hospitals, medical centers, medical groups, clinics, IPAs, physician practices, health plans, public health and other healthcare providers to bring needed technology to participants, allowing them to share electronic patient health records throughout the state. IEHIE gives healthcare providers immediate access to state-of-the-art electronic patient health data. It allows doctors, clinics, hospitals and other healthcare providers to electronically access medical records, which results in timely, secure and improved quality of healthcare for the patients in the community. For more information, visit: http://www.iehie.org.

CONTACT:
Michelle Ronan Noteboom, Amendola Communications
512-426-2870
mnoteboom@acmarketingpr.com

Dolores L. Green
CEO, Inland Empire Health Information Exchange
951-743-6464
dgreen@RCMANET.ORG

SOURCE Cal INDEX

Related Links

http://www.calindex.org