Clinical Information Exchange Holds Great Promise for Our Region

In Western New York, health insurers, the region's hospital systems, physicians, and other institutions have been at the forefront to lessen the cost of health care and more importantly potentially save lives through the development of HEALTHeLINK, the Western New York clinical information exchange.  The collaboration among the sponsoring entities to create and sustain HEALTHeLINK is unprecedented. 

There is enormous potential for improving patient care through this initiative.   What does the promise of technology hold?  Imagine you are lying unconscious in the emergency room and the attending physician has no knowledge of your health history.  In an instant, your electronic health record becomes your voice as the physician will be able to quickly treat you avoiding potentially harmful drug interactions or other complications based on your medical history - potentially saving your life!

A clinical information exchange will not only improve your healthcare experience, but it makes your healthcare information more secure than having it contained in paper files.  In a clinical information exchange, your health information is safely stored and protected with all access tagged with a digital fingerprint.  Once consumers consent to having their health care information accessed, they are saying yes for better care and a better healthcare system.