Craig Hospital's Patients With Brain And Spinal Cord Injuries Now Benefiting From Cutting-Edge Medical Records Exchange Technology

DENVER, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, and Craig Hospital announced today that the specialty hospital is now participating in CORHIO's secure health information exchange (HIE) network. Denver-based Craig Hospital is world-renowned as a premier center for specialty rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Through the HIE connection, patients who are being transferred from another participating Colorado acute care hospital to Craig Hospital will have smoother transitions and be at lower risk for complications, because the details of their electronic medical records will immediately follow them as they transition facilities.

The CORHIO HIE is a highly protected electronic network that links the medical records systems of hospitals, doctors and other health care providers throughout Colorado. The HIE allows providers to exchange vital patient information, including lab test and pathology results, X-ray, MRI and other imaging reports, and physician transcription reports, when it is needed for patient care. To view a video that describes HIE, please visit http://youtu.be/9iO8NaVt6Sw.

Often an individual with a brain or spinal cord injury will have been through a traumatic accident and will initially be taken to an emergency room or an acute care hospital. At the hospital, the person is stabilized and may be there for many days while undergoing various tests, surgeries and therapies. After the person is stabilized, their recovery and rehabilitation may progress more quickly at a specialty care facility like Craig Hospital, so he or she is transferred. The CORHIO HIE helps make sure that the clinical information recorded in the person's electronic health record is securely and more completely transferred to Craig Hospital, so his or her new care team can more quickly develop a treatment plan and provide for their total health care needs.

Hospitals and health care providers that participate in the CORHIO HIE help to improve the overall quality of care that patients receive, including reducing delays in treatment and the need for redundant testing, which can be costly and sometimes unpleasant for patients.

"Craig is pleased to be a part of the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization's HIE network," said Thomas E. Balazy, MD, the medical director at Craig Hospital. "When a patient comes to Craig Hospital for medical and rehabilitation care of spinal cord and/or acquired brain injury, frequently from an acute care center in Colorado, we will be able to quickly and accurately retrieve records from the referring physician and hospital. Labs and imaging reports will be instantly available, allowing us to devise the best treatment plan in a timely manner, without the delay of waiting for records or test results. The patient can be confident that all providers are looking at the same information housed within a secure environment."

"We are honored to have Craig Hospital join the CORHIO health information exchange," said Larry Wolk, MD, chief executive officer of CORHIO. "Craig Hospital has always been an innovator, using cutting-edge technology to help patients with brain and spinal cord injuries recover and be as independent as possible. We are pleased to be providing them with technology that helps make their world-class specialty care even more exceptional."

Statewide, there are currently 29 hospitals, more than 900 office-based providers, 79 long-term and post-acute care facilities, six 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 an additional 15 hospitals, more than 900 office-based providers, 41 long-term and post-acute care providers, three large laboratories and seven behavioral health centers.

About Craig Hospital

Craig Hospital is a world-renowned hospital specializing exclusively in the treatment, rehabilitation and research for those affected by spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.  Craig is a 93-bed, private, not-for-profit, free-standing rehabilitation hospital that is unsurpassed in its comprehensive system of inpatient and outpatient medical care, neurosurgical rehabilitative care, long-term follow-up services, and research. Craig has treated 30,000 patients from all 50 states and several foreign countries.  Rated in the Top Ten rehabilitation centers for 24 consecutive years by US News and World Report, Craig Hospital is also designated by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research (NIDRR) as a Model System Center for both spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. The Hospital is also the NIDRR National Statistical TBI database for the other 15 TBI Model System Centers in the U.S.  Designated as a Magnet Recognition® facility since 2005, Craig received the coveted Magnet Prize® Award in 2012.  In 2011 Craig received the NDNQI® award for quality patient care, and in 2012 received the Employee Safety Award by the Colorado Division of Workers Compensation. Craig was ranked as the #3 Top WorkPlaces by the Denver Post in 2012, and the #2 Top Workplace in 2013.   www.craighospital.org

About CORHIO

CORHIO 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 large 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 Colorado Regional Health Information Organization