Institute for Population Health Improvement
HIE Expansion Grant Project Summary
Grantee: North Coast Health Information Network (NCHIN)
Project Title: Humboldt Information Exchange Project
Service Domain: Humboldt County
Funding Amount: $200,105
Timeline: June 2011 – February 2013
Exchange Partners:
Hospitals: Mad River Community Hospital, Redwood Memorial Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital
Independent Labs: Eureka Internal Medicine
Public Health Agencies: Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services, CAIR
Medical Practices: Open Door Community Health Centers (safety net), Humboldt Medical
Group, Fortuna Family Medical Group, Eureka Family Practice, North Coast Surgical
Specialists, Eva Teresa Marshall MD, Margaret Grossman MD, Arcata Community Life
Medical Center, Redwood Family Practice, Eureka OB/GYN, Eureka Pediatrics, United Indian
Health Service
Health Insurance Companies (TPAs): Humboldt-Del Norte Foundation for Medical Care,
Humboldt-Del Norte Independent Practice Association
Objectives: This project aims to lower barriers to EHR adoption in Humboldt County by helping to build a
Health Information Organization with the capacity to provide lab results interfaces with data from local
hospitals, as well as provide other expanded HIE services to the community.
Lab Results
Provide lab results to health care providers in Humboldt by adding interfaces to
several EHRs. This will create a conduit to send and receive electronic lab data
between practice offices and all local lab facilities (local hospitals, independent
labs and Public Health lab) in Humboldt County.
Electronic Referrals
Work to expand the use of IRIS (Internet Referral Information System) to enable
clearer communication regarding the referral process between primary care and
specialty care. NCHIN is developing IRIS interface packages with several
primary care EHR products that enable the EHR to send added or changed
demographic information on patients to IRIS and to receive Referral Status
Messages from IRIS in real-time.
Immunization
Function as a bridge between primary care EHRs and CAIR. Develop and test
immunization interface with United Indian Health Service.
Western States
Consortium
Implement a Direct Health Information Service provider (HISP) solution, provider
directory and certificate discovery capabilities as part of participation in the pilot
phases of the Western States Consortium Demonstration Project for inter-state
HIE.
Dictated Documents
Provide dictated documents from care delivered in local hospital settings to care
providers’ EHRs. Interfaces into 3 separate EHR products have been or are
being developed with more planned in separate expansion projects.
Care Coordination
Provide Admit/Discharge/Transfer (ADT) information from local hospitals to care
providers’ EHRs. Interfaces into 3 separate EHR products have been or are
being developed with more planned in separate expansion projects. This
information will allow providers to better coordinate appropriate care for their
patients across care settings in real-time.
Syndromic
Surveillance
Collaborating with CalREDIE and Humboldt County Public Health Department to
provide syndromic surveillance in accordance with Meaningful Use
specifications.