Research and Projects: AHRQ THQIT and SRD Portfolio

Massachusetts

SAFEHealth-Secure Architecture for Exchanging Health Information

Description:  Creates a local heath information exchange infrastructure that integrates workflow and improves communication for patients, healthcare providers, payers, and public health agencies.

Abstract:  DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): SAFE Health (Secure Architecture For Exchanging Health Information) is a project to create a Local Heath Information Infrastructure (LHII) for the patients, healthcare providers, payers and public health agencies in central Massachusetts. Using nationally accepted data exchange standards and a federated, decentralized approach to authentication, master person index and data repositories, SAFE Health will create a secure, scalable and sustainable model that can be replicated and interfaced to other LHII's. The system uses innovative approaches to integrate with the varied workflows of clinicians in a timely manner and is designed to assist in communication among patients, healthcare providers, and public health monitoring organizations. Unique to SAFE Health is the integration of decision support directly into the network infrastructure. SAFE Health's implementation and refinement will be managed by a not-for-profit organization with representation from all major stakeholders, including patients, clinicians and public health agencies. The long-term goals of SAFE Health include improving healthcare quality and safety while reducing healthcare costs nationwide. Specific measurable aims include: 1) creation and validation of a sustainable technical, organizational and financial model for LHII's; 2) demonstrate clinician and patient acceptance and use of an LHII; 3) improve community-level compliance with health maintenance and disease management tests and procedures; 4) empower patients to become more involved in their healthcare; 5) provide a mechanism to automatically monitor patient safety and public health through sentinel events; 6) demonstrate a reduction in adverse events; 7) quantify a reduction in healthcare costs through decreased utilization and improved process efficiencies; 8) facilitate the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR's); 9) disseminate lessons learned in order to encourage the creation of other LHII's; and 10) demonstrate data exchange with other LHII's as a model for the Nation Health Information Infrastructure (NHII).

Year 1 Funding:  $500,000

Estimated Total Funding:  $1,419,846

Principal Investigator:  Lawrence Garber

Applicant Institution:  Fallon Clinic, Inc.

City/Town:  Worcester, Massachusetts

State:  Massachusetts

Grant Number:  UC1 HS15220

Category:  Implementation Grants (THQIT)

Thesaurus Terms:  data collection methodology /evaluation, data management, health care model, information dissemination, model design /development, public health, automated medical record system, community health service, cooperative study, geographic site, health care cost /financing, health care personnel, health care quality, health care service utilization, patient safety /medical error, clinical research, human subject

Project Start Date:  Sep 30, 2004

Project End Date:  Sep 29, 2007