On September 23, 2008, the New Mexico Health Information Collaborative (NMHIC) successfully demonstrated the exchange of patient information over the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). Dr. Robert White, Director of Medical Informatics at Lovelace Clinic Foundation (LCF) used the NMHIC health information exchange network to access a fictitious patient record from a healthcare provider in Albuquerque. New Mexico, and then gathered important additional information about the same patient from the Long Beach Network for Health (LBNH) in California. The demonstration illustrated how rapid access to patient information could dramatically improve patient care and potentially save lives. The audience for this demonstration included Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt, the members of the American Health Information Community (AHIC), and all those across the country who watched the demonstration as it was broadcast live over the internet.
LCF/NMHIC was selected as one of five health information exchange networks (HIEs) to play a leading role in the demonstration. Nineteen health information networks participated in this trial implementation of the NHIN, including seven states, Kaiser Permanente, the Veterans Health Administration, the Department of Defense Military Health System, and other major health information networks.
“The NHIN demonstration is a major milestone for improving health care in the nation and New Mexico. I am so proud of the NMHIC team, which has clearly demonstrated that New Mexico can be among the leaders in using health information technology to improve patient care,” said Jeff Blair, Director of Health Informatics at LCF.
Maggie Gunter, President and Executive Director of LCF, added that “We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our numerous community partners—health systems, laboratories, and others--who made this milestone possible through their willingness to work hard with us to plan, problem solve, and provide data to fuel the New Mexico health information exchange network.”
The New Mexico Health Information Collaborative (NMHIC) is the name of New Mexico’s rapidly growing health information exchange (HIE) network and the community collaborative that has supported its development with time and funding. The collaborative includes important New Mexico stakeholders representing health care providers, payers, employers, state agencies and consumers. NMHIC was created in 2004, and continues to be fully staffed and operated by LCF. LCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit applied health research organization.
The health care organizations that are participating with NMHIC in this September demonstration of the Nationwide Health Information Network Trial Implementation include Presbyterian Healthcare Services and TriCore Reference Labs. In the upcoming December demonstration of the NHIN, the New Mexico Department of Health, Albuquerque Ambulance, and Holy Cross Hospital in Taos will also participate.
LCF/NMHIC’s technology partner is MedPlus of Mason, Ohio. MedPlus has also provided the network technology for the New York Clinical Information Exchange (NYCLIX) and the Long Beach Network for Health (LBNH) in California, both of which joined with NMHIC as part of the NHIN Trial implementation.
Contact:
Jeff Blair
(505) 938-9904
Jeff.Blair@LCFresearch.org
