Seven Denver Area Hospitals Join Colorado Health Information Exchange To Support Advancements In Health Care Quality & Safety

DENVER, Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, announced today that HealthONE has signed an agreement to participate in its secure health information exchange (HIE) network. The seven HealthONE hospitals join 28 other hospitals around the state already connected to CORHIO, including Centura Health which operates 13 hospitals connected to the HIE network, of which seven are located in Metro Denver. HealthONE is a subsidiary of the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), which is the nation's largest private hospital system.

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

Hospitals and health care providers that participate in 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 painful—for patients.

For patients who go to a hospital for care, studies have shown that coordinated after-hospital care is critically important to avoid serious complications. Too often, patients can end up back in the hospital within 30 days, something referred to as a "hospital readmission." By joining the CORHIO HIE, HealthONE and Centura Health have demonstrated a strong commitment to the health and wellbeing of Denver area patients because HIE will improve their communication with community-based physicians, home health nurses, skilled nursing facilities and other providers who can help patients regain their health and avoid unnecessary trips back to the hospital.

The HealthONE system includes seven metro Denver hospitals, all of which are joining the CORHIO HIE:

• The Medical Center of Aurora
• North Suburban Medical Center
• Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center (P/SL) & Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL
• Rose Medical Center
• Sky Ridge Medical Center
• Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital
• Swedish Medical Center

The HealthONE system also includes 15 stand-alone ambulatory surgery centers, eight occupational medicine and rehabilitation clinics, Airlife Denver and dozens of specialty clinics.

"HealthONE is proud to partner with CORHIO's HIE to help improve clinical operations for our physicians, nurses and ultimately the patients we serve," says Chris Wobensmith, chief information officer, HCA-HealthONE. "We are committed to providing the highest quality patient experience--from great service at the bedside to enhanced clinical processes like CORIHO."

"We applaud the commitment to patients that HealthONE is demonstrating by participating in our community HIE," said Larry Wolk, MD, chief executive officer of CORHIO. "With the addition of HealthONE to CORHIO's network, we will have one of the nation's most robust HIEs. This is a testament to the collaboration of health care leaders across the state and means that Colorado citizens can expect to get some of the highest quality, most coordinated care of any place in the nation."

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.

About HealthONE

HealthONE is the largest health care system in the metro Denver area with more than 9,000 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians. HealthONE hospitals have a long and trusted legacy going back more than 130 years with St. Luke's, more than 85 years with Presbyterian Denver, more than 105 years with Swedish and more than 60 years with Rose. The current health system was created in 1995 as a Colorado company and a joint venture between The Colorado Health Foundation and various affiliates of HCA. The Foundation grew to the second largest charitable foundation in the state and in October 2011 sold its share in HealthONE to HCA (NYSE: HCA).

SOURCE CORHIO