Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/298548
A unique and popular feature of STHL's HIE is its zero-footprint Community Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) Viewer. Typically, providers need special software and additional login cre- dentials to check multiple organizational databases for imaging studies, or worse yet, rely on the patient to obtain and transport physical copies of their images. Instead, with one click, providers can launch the STHL Community PACS Viewer to show diagnostic quality images in one place, and even collaborate with other providers on these images in real time. Edward D. Santelli, MD, radiologist with Southern Tier Imaging Accusite PET/CT, notes the importance of easily accessible images, especially as a follow-up after an ER visit during which imaging studies were performed. "Circumstances do not always allow for patients to be brought to the same emergency room as in the past or even the same health system where they receive primary care," he says. "STHL's HIE gives us real-time access to imaging that is critical for patient evaluation." STHL to the Rescue Instant access to more comprehensive data supplied by the STHL HIE drastically improves the capabilities of daily emergency room activities. According to Dr. Santelli, "The critical setting and urgency of the emergency patient can sometimes limit the informa- tion that can be directly garnered from the patient or their family. This is where STHL's database is a very powerful tool." Dr. Farrell adds that the speed with which STHL's HIE can be accessed is especially helpful in the frequent cases when patients do not remember details regarding previous providers, current medications or prior tests they have undergone. "We obtain all of this information within seconds using STHL," she says. This immediate access to external information regarding a patient's prior health history is a necessity in the UHS Emergency Room, according to Rajesh Davé, MD, STHL Board President and CMO at UHS. Dr. Davé, who is also Executive Vice President of Clinical Integration at UHS, Dean of Binghamton Clinical Campus and Professor of Pediatrics at Upstate Medical University at Syracuse, asserts that this access "provides continuity of care, prevents duplication of services and, in the long run, is very cost-effective." In addition to assistance in the struc- tured environment of a hospital emergency department, STHL is a valuable partner providing health information during emergencies throughout the region. STHL's services played an integral role in Broome County's disaster response to historic flood- ing caused by Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. Through collaboration with the Broome County Health Department (BCHD) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), STHL helped establish protocols and obtain neces- sary information to care for those displaced by the high waters. Wayne Teris, MD, FAAFP, Clinician/ Physician Informaticist at UHS Medical Group, was stationed at the Johnson City High School shelter, where more than 800 people sought refuge. "Many of these individuals had sig- nificant medical issues that needed to be treated urgently, without any medical records or pertinent medical informa- tion," Dr. Teris recalls. The workstations set up by STHL allowed timely access to information such a s medications, a llerg y lists, and transcribed reports that provided valuable and lifesaving information, all while paper records around the city were slowly becoming submerged in floodwaters. D u r ing nat u ra l d isa sters, when people rarely have time to collect their medications, the capability to access such information gives providers the means to care for their patients. "We could not have treated these peo- ple, who were pulled from their homes as the water was rising," recalls Claudia Edwards, Public Health Director of the BCHD and STHL board member. "Some came with nothing but a garbage bag full of personal items. We had to get their medical information, and being able to electronically access lists of medications and medical problems was invaluable to their treatment and care." As a result of the 2011 flooding, STHL has developed a Disaster Response protocol and is now an integrated part of Broome County's emergency response plan. STHL stands at hand, ready to assist in any disaster or emergency situation that may warrant access to HIE data. Comprehensive Data The wealth of data maintained in the STHL HIE provides an excellent resource for more than direct patient care. Syndromic surveillance performed by county and state health departments ca n benefit from utilizing HIE, as Scribes pull up the STHL web portal right on their mobile stations to get data. These mobile stations follow the scribes and allow them to look up and document information for the provider. UHS physicians treat ER patients while scribes pull vital information for the STHL Web Portal. M D N E W S . CO M n MD NEWS Central New York | 7