DENVER, Colo. – May 15, 2014 – CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, announced today that SCL Health System’s three Denver-areas hospitals have successfully connected to its health information exchange (HIE) network. The three hospitals include Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. Combined, the hospitals provide care to more than 100,000 residents and last year reported more than 160,000 emergency room visits, over 400,000 outpatient visits and 45,000 inpatient hospitalizations.

The HIE gives physicians and other care providers access to important health information about their patients including hospital discharge notifications, lab test results, x-ray, MRI and other imaging reports, physician transcription reports and referral information.

By connecting SCL Health System’s electronic medical record (EMR) system with CORHIO’s HIE, SCL Health System is expanding its capabilities to more quickly and efficiently coordinate the care of patients with community providers throughout Colorado. When a patient is hospitalized or has a medical test performed at an SCL Health System hospital, important health information is electronically recorded and then automatically routed to the patient’s care providers on the CORHIO network. This immediate communication helps the patient’s care team better track his or her medical needs, which can prevent repeat hospitalizations and redundant testing.

“Sharing information through joining COHRIO is an exciting opportunity to improve patient care,” said Dr. Joseph Heaton, Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer for SCL Health System. “Timely access to information will provide a safety net for the patient, as well as create efficiency for providers. We are delighted to be part of the network!”

“A significant percentage of residents in north Denver and the northwest suburbs rely heavily on SCL Health System for their medical needs and we are thrilled that their patients will now benefit from the CORHIO network,” said Morgan Honea, executive director at CORHIO. “This accomplishment, along with other works in progress, have us well on our way toward 100-percent coverage for acute care hospitalization data in the greater Denver-Boulder area.”

About CORHIO
CORHIO is dedicated to improving health care quality for all Coloradans through health information exchange (HIE). As the state designated entity for HIE, CORHIO collaborates with health care stakeholders including physicians, hospitals, clinics, public health, long-term care, laboratories, health plans and patients to improve care collaboration through secure systems and processes for sharing clinical information. CORHIO is a not-for-profit supported in large part by grants, including awards from the Colorado Health Foundation and from federal ARRA HITECH funds. CORHIO’s technical infrastructure is built on industry-leading HIE technology developed and maintained by Medicity. For more information about CORHIO, please visit www.corhio.org.

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