Our Services
The SunCoast RHIO offers many different services to a rich mix of participants. Because our participant base is varied the products we offer are tailored to customers’ needs. This means we cannot easily list our services and apply them to all cases.
Certifed EHR powered by Phyaura with Practice Management,
ePrescribing, Meaningful Use Reporting and Billing:
Login to HubEHR, our version of Phyaura EHR, and use lower case id of doctor with password of doctor
https://demo.phyaura.com/interface/login/login_frame.php?site=HubEHR
To explore the full Phyaura website:
https://billing.phyaura.com/aff.php?aff=003
Call us for Certified EHR Advice
Use our HIE Platform- www.HINFlorida.com
Personal Health Records - www.lifelinkPHR.com (contact us-code required) , Relay Health PHR coming soon.
Coming in April, 2012, SunCoast RHIO will be certified as a CMS Health Information Handler (HIH) allowing us to be an open source NHIN Clearing House submitter of unstructured medical data. See www.CMS.gov/edMD
Quality and Outcomes (DARTNet)
Inventory Website of our systems: see www.myRHIO.biz , our pilot service launching website customized for Providers, Hospitals, Consumers, and Payers.
How this Section is Presented
Some readers of this site are seeking more detailed information than others.
This tab is written from a high level and drills down into more detail for those who wish to know more. We identify the more detailed sections at logical break points so that the reader can decide how much they want to know.
More information is always available by calling the RHIO customer service number at 941-426-6093.
This Section also includes:
Appendix A – Primer on EHR Procurement
Appendix B – APPENDIX REPLACED
Appendix C - Deleted, see CMS.gov
Appendix D – Deleted, see CMS.gov
Appendix E – SunCoast RHIO Membership Process for Participants
Appendix F – Become a Partner
Overview of SunCoast RHIO
Primarily, SunCoast RHIO offers services to:
-Providers
-Consumers
-Other
The Product and Services of the RHIO are:
-A ClearingHouse and Exchange of Health and Related Information;
-Consulting and other Services to help providers achieve “Meaningful Use” and
to help them choose and buy healthcare technology related products;
-Public Service Education and Research and Personal Health Records (PHR’s)
for consumers.
Our Services fall into two cost categories:
-Free Services
-Fee Based Services
In many cases, we are an intermediary broker of products and services from vendors, hospitals, and government.
To see the products and services we offer, see the “Our Partners” tab. For information on other products and services, see the buyers guide link in Appendix A. We can help our participants in many ways, from simply learning about what is available to actually evaluating and acquiring products and services. Call for more information.
More Detail
A further definition of each of the three customer classes follows:
The “Provider” category includes -
Doctors and Practices, Hospitals and Hospital Networks, Clinics, others
The “Consumer” category includes-
Individuals and community groups
The “Other” category includes-
Researchers (Research organizations, universities, government, other RHIO’s),
Vendors, Payers, Data/Information Providers/Displayers (including
libraries, labs, and radiology entities), Technical Organizations (Computers
and all associated functions including support, networks, and developers),
Banks, Training Organizations (including credentialing (non medical)
and certification), and other general.
Free Services
It is easy to be a member (or participant) of the SunCoast RHIO. There is no fee at this time. The free benefits of membership include the following:
Online Newsletters and Emails corresponding to major events in the field;
“No-charge” community seminars and presentations;
Invitations to hear nationally renowned speakers;
Free or significantly reduced membership in major national organizations such as HIMSS, “The Health Information Management Systems Society”;
A central point of Information about upcoming healthcare related events;
A central point of contact to government databases and information from various other sources on healthcare matters including disease and prevention, quality measures (AHRQ , CMS, others), and provider specialties and ratings;
Government data on patient, provider satisfaction and patient safety;
A place to take surveys and see what others are saying;
Jobs, certifications, and trends in education related to the field;
A place to hear vendor news on products and services;
The latest on privacy, advocacy, and confidentiality;
What to do if data is compromised;
Where to go to get further information
See “Membership” form at the end of this section
For partner, see “Become a Partner” or call for further Information.
Fee Based Service Options
Fee based services are offered.
We list them here including the two most common items which are presented in more detail later. These are the Electronic Health Record or EHR and the Health Information Exchange or HIE.
EHR, we are a reseller of Phyaura certified EHR, call for details
HIE, we are a partner with Thrasys for Syntranet HIE.
We offer a fee to become part of Syntranet for the ability to
transfer machine readable EHR (any vendor) and have it read
on a neutral platform to achieve MU core measure 13 and 14
We offer a full HIE with hotline for a different price level
We offer ACO building and platform including data collection
and reporting at a different price level.
Data Capture, we are a reseller of RoverINK data capture device that uses pen technology or voice to capture data and load into an EHR.
Educational Backgroud of Generic Products
EHR
To understand what product or service to review in order to have EHR functionality, one must be clear on the goals one wishes to accomplish and to understand the formal (and evolving) definition of an EHR. This overview may help make the process easier.
Also note, that on December 30, 2009, the ONC, an office of the Federal Government issued two interim definitions. One was how to determine the achievement of “Meaningful Use”, and the other was how CMS is planning to reimburse those who achieve it. A summary of each is presented in its own appendix below.
In general, an EHR can be used for three activities:
Storing and retrieving information about the Provider, the Patient, the Care, the financials, and the Insurance (or any combination);
Sending and Sharing that information with others;
Both
(A Repository is a term often used for entities that store this information. There are dedicated organizations that do this. In addition, hospital systems, or doctors’ offices that keep their own data and do not share it can also be thought of as having their own repositories.
The three major types of data are:
Demographic,
Financial,
Clinical
An EHR can be a product one buys and keeps on a hospital or office computer or a service one signs up for on the Web. There are combinations in between.
An EHR can also be a computer program that was developed by the office or hospital staff on its own or by an outside contractor that performed this activity for the provider in the past. It does not have to be a product or service that is purchased through an outside vendor.
There is also no firm requirement to send and share information with others in order to have some level of an Electronic Health Record, however, the government will be reimbursing providers (see Interim Rules Appendices below) who have and use EHR’s for the purpose of achieving “Meaningful Use” of technology.
In addition, the stimulus reimbursement will be ultimately tied to the idea of exchanging the data with others. This exchange of data must not just function within the same organization’s computers. This is where HIE’s become important.
Hospital owned and managed systems can be their own HIE’s. There is activity towards defining how a hospital system can play this role for itself by exchanging data with and for other healthcare entities in the region they serve. A RHIO is not a requirement but may make the process easier if the provider chooses to go that route.
The SunCoast RHIO works with hospital based HIE’s as a partner to provide connectivity beyond their immediate technical coverage areas if they so choose. We also offer our own HIE solutions and act as a middle layer for products and services to and from multiple HIE vendors, hospital systems, and government services.
We will support Health Record Banks for consumers who want them as well as Personal Health Records and the ability to have handwritten documents put into electronic formats on behalf of our clients if they so choose.
Appendix A
Primer on The EHR Procurement Process
By answering the following questions, it may be easier to determine what level of EHR could be acquired by a provider and be able to find the right combination of functionality and product or service.
It is important to note that installing an EHR is a time consuming process and requires significant learning time by the provider and the office staff. There are also ongoing support costs and network considerations that must be addressed. These costs are in addition to the initial capital outlays that occur when a purchase or lease is being considered.
Installation expense can require more than just computer and networking hardware and software programs. It can lead to expenses in upgrading an office electrical capacity and labor costs that may be required to copy the old paper records to electronic format (there may be migration paths that allow both and may work in your particular environment).
There are also recurring maintenance costs for the system. There is the major consideration of the reputation of the vendor both from a support and a financial perspective. There are training costs as well. These include the obvious up front training expenses and the cost of having to re-deploy productive staff away from their jobs during training.
The new system will probably be slower than your manual system at first. This will improve over time as workflow changes. This will also allow your office to see more patients at lower cost and hopefully to provide better care to the ones you do see. Some providers choose to start slow with a minimal product at low cost and build up over time. There are those who decide a total migration or a “Big Bang” approach makes more sense when purchasing and EHR. The RHIO can help you in making these decisions if you so choose. There are many paths between all options.
EHR products are usually by vendor based on whether the product will be used for ambulatory (outpatient) or inpatient use. A full system works in both environments.
The key questions that will help lead to a decision than become:
What do you want to use the EHR for?
Getting financial information such as eligibility or to submit electronic claims
Keep Patient History
Share clinical data with others
See referral history
Perform Electronic Prescribing (ePrescribe)
See patient History from others
See Labs and Radiology reports online
Qualify for ARRA Reimbursement
Avoid future CMS penalties for non use of technology
Of course, the major reason is always to provide better care.
If you don’t already have an EHR:
Do you want to purchase a product and use a vendor’s network? or
Do you want to have a web based product and pay a subscription? Or
Do you want to use a local RHIO and/or its HIE? Or
Are you interested in or qualify for a public state or government based solution?
Can you mix and match?
(Note: some organizations such as charity related institutions may qualify for no charge products or be eligible for grants. The RHIO can help determine this.)
The Health Information Management Systems Society offers many services that helps providers find products and services including an EHR. This includes a buyer’s guide covering the various offerings in Health Information Technology.
The link is http://onlinebuyersguide.himss.org/
Appendix B
We have replaced the majority of the content in Appendix B and Appendix C. Detailed information can be found at the CMS Government Website or the State of Florida website managed by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
That website is known as the Florida Health Information Network and can be found at www.FHIN.net
Here is a very brief overview. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, The Federal Government made stimulus funds available for many major industries. The funds earmarked to Health Care were targeted to Medicare and Medicaid incentives and for the use of computer technolgy.
The goals of using technology is to reduce errors, streamline clinical and admistrative workflow, improve quality and outcomes, and prevent unnecessary testing.
To this end, the Federal Government created a new agency known as the ONC. The ONC is at the same level as CMS, AHRQ, Veteran Affairs, and others that report directly into the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department.
To accomplish its charge, the ONC created intial rules pertaining to the use of computer technology in the health care field. The ONC stated that in order to get the funds, doctors and hospitals must use computer technology in a Meaningful Way and created the rules of Meaninful Use or MU.
One of these rules states that a certified Electronic Health Record package or a collection of certified modules must be used. NOTE - The funds are not made to reimburse providers for buying EHR products, though that can be done. The reimbursement is given based on achieving MU in various stages over the years. If a product (or a group of products) are already in use, and they are certified, there is no need to purchase anything. Providers will still get the funding when MU is reached.
Another major step the ONC did was to allow companies to apply as certification entities. This has been accomplished and at this writing, there are now 3 such organizations. One of them is the CCHIT. Drummond is another. More are being announced as time goes on. The job of this entities is to test products and proclaim if they can be used for attaining MU and if so, they are considered "Certified".
The ONC also created the Regional Extension Centers or REC's. These REC's exist across the nation. They are funded by the Federal Government. The job of the REC's is to help providers understand what certified products are available, help them choose which ones to acquire, train them on using them, and support them. Help Desk, Customer Support, Consulting, are ways this support takes place. A key deliverable of the REC's is to assist the provider community reach Meaningful Use.
The REC's are currently signing up providers with contracts. There are 4 major REC's in Florida and each has contracts slightly different than the others. The 4 REC's are in the following major locations and all have different coverage areas: 1) Miami affiliated with the Health Choice Network or HCN, 2) Orlando affiliated with UCF Medical School, 3) Tampa - Affiliated with USF, and 4) Clearwater, affiliated with the Community Health Center Alliance or CHCA.
Relevant Themes:
HHS made a critical decision early in the process to align Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid, where practicable and legally possible. Medicare incentive payments will be released by CMS. Medicaid payments will be released through the states, following approval of the individual state plans.
The Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Payment Programs are designed as a three-stage effort.
Stage I
– Electronic capture of health information in a coded format; tracking key clinical conditions and communicating outcomes for care coordinating; implementing clinical decision support tools to facilitate disease and medication management; and reporting outcomes for public health purposes.
Stage II
– Expands on stage I. Encourages the use of health IT to enhance computerized provider order entry; transitions in care; electronic transmission of diagnostic test results; and, research.
Stage III
– Expands on stage II. Promotes improvements to quality and safety; focuses on clinical decision support at a national level by encouraging patient access and involvement; and, improved population health data
Appendix E –
Membership
To become a member or a participant of the SunCoast RHIO, please send an email to SunCoastRHIO@yahoo.com. Please supply the following information:
Name
Phone Number
Email
Are you:
An Individual
In a Clinical role
In a non clinical role
Associated with a clinical organization
Another non clinical healthcare organization – If so, please specify
A Practice
Single
Multiple (how many?)
A Clinic
General
Specialties (please specify)
A Hospital (Approximate Bed Size)
A Hospital Network
A Payer Organization
A Social Service Organization
A Governmental Entity
Other type of Organization
None of the above
Thanks for your time. Someone will get back to you.
Appendix F – Partnerships
The RHIO is looking for partners who wish to work with us to serve our region.
Please contact us at SunCoastRHIO@yahoo.com or call Lou Galterio at 941-426-6093.