HIEs Connect Before Disaster Strikes

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

In California, HHS is connecting the state’s 35 health information exchanges in case of unexpected events like the recent earthquake.

In the aftermath of a disaster there can be countless victims, but how to emergency responders and neighboring cities handle these emergencies without access to health records? The answer could be as easy as connecting patients’ health records in a health information exchange. Over the last year, the ONC has been working with California state emergency medical services to connect the state’s 35 HIEs and EMS organizations.

“The program is working on a pilot project involving several counties in California,” write Karen DeSalvo and Gregg Margolis in the Health IT Buzz Blog. “However, the Northern California earthquake reminds us that there is much work to do, and it must happen faster statewide and nationwide. We simply cannot make assumptions about how best to prepare for emergencies.”

EHR Intelligence explains that health organizations which rely on electronic records are vulnerable during storms, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Connecting them to other nearby hospitals and others across the state allows providers to give care no matter what the weather or circumstance.

“Technology and health information technology have the power to inform and help survivors, first responders, and local, state, tribal, territorial and federal governments with critical information and resources related to emergencies,” DeSalvo and Margolis conclude. “The projects outlined above are just a few examples of the many ways we are working towards the goal of better preparing and supporting communities and survivors before, during and following a disaster.”

Hurricane Katrina inspired Gulf States, along with six others from the Midwest and East, to band their HIEs together in order to provide access to critical health information in times of need.