The Health Information Exchange (HIE) provides a way for technology to improve healthcare for our patients.
Our approach
Doctors, hospitals, and health care providers share your medical information via phone, fax, and mail. The Health Information Exchange (HIE) provides a better, safer, and faster way for your medical providers to share pertinent information.
Providers on the HIE network can quickly access information such as allergies or medications, and notes from your hospital stay giving them the ability to coordinate and improve the quality of your care. Only authorized healthcare providers with a valid reason will be permitted to access your medical information.
What does an HIE give me?
Improved Care – provides your providers a more complete care picture to help them better coordinate your care
Emergency Treatment – provide quick access to information in an emergency situation
Privacy Protection – sharing electronically through a secure system is safer than paper and faxed records that can easily be lost
Is My Personal Information Safe?
Your information is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This privacy rule gives you rights and sets limits on how your information can be shared with others
The HIE does not store your medical record; it provides a secure network for your health providers to share the information that they already store
The information is encrypted
Each user with access must have their own ID and password
There are audit records available and can be used to track anyone that has accessed your information
How Do I Participate?
Centra is participating with other healthcare organizations throughout the state with the State HIE (Exchange) to provide access to health records at the point of care for organizations. Since Centra is a participant of the Exchange, your information will be shared with other providers in Exchange. Providers must request your information from the Exchange.
Can I Choose Not to Participate?
Control of sharing data is managed by each local site participating in the Exchange. If you do not want to share your Centra information with other providers participating in the Exchange, please print out the Centra opt out form and follow the instructions provided.
The privacy and security of protected health information is a top priority for patients and their families, health care providers, and the Federal Government. Federal laws require many of the key persons and organizations that handle health information to have policies and security safeguards in place to protect your health information, whether it is stored on paper or electronically.
You have strong, clearly defined rights when it comes to protecting your health information, and these rights extend to electronic health information. If you believe your health information privacy has been violated, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a division, the Office for Civil Rights, that can help. Visit them online at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/index.html
