Nation’s First and Most Mature Health Information Exchange
Acknowledged for Saving Lives and Reducing Costs

DOVER – Leaders from throughout Delaware gathered at Christiana Hospital today to celebrate the anniversary of another major “first” for the First State. Five years ago the Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) went live online and became the nation’s first state-wide health information exchange.

In those five years, the Network has grown rapidly and now includes all of Delaware’s acute care hospitals, all long-term nursing care facilities, all major medical imaging firms, and 92 percent of healthcare providers. More than nine million medical history results are expected to be posted to the system this year for the 1.3 million patients on record.

Appropriate medical treatment can begin more quickly

“What this means for patients in Delaware is that emergency room physicians and medical providers have instant access to patients’ test results and other medical information,” said Dr. Jan Lee, Executive Director of DHIN. “With that information readily available, appropriate treatment can begin much more quickly…and that will save lives.  In addition, with doctors able to see test information that has already been conducted on a patient, unnecessary, duplicative and expensive tests have been reduced by as much as 33% percent. Consequently healthcare costs are reduced and better care is provided more quickly,” she said.

However, DHIN was not established to only save money. “The real impact of DHIN is with patient care,” said Randy Gaboriault, DHIN Board Chair and CIO of Christiana Care. “Physicians now have at their fingertips the information they need to quickly determine a proper course of treatment.  That information was often delayed or had to be repeated before DHIN became available,” he said.

Governor Markell Notes Delaware’s Leadership

“We celebrate Delaware’s leadership in a formal exchange of health information that is helping doctors, hospitals and medical professionals deliver better care,” said Governor Jack Markell.  “When a patient transfers from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility, for instance, that facility can now query the DHIN to confirm discharge instructions.  When a patient in an emergency room references a recent CAT scan, emergency room doctors can retrieve those results from the DHIN to help them make better informed diagnosis. DHIN is the technology foundation for us to truly transition from a sick care system to a health care system.”

New Technology

Of particular interest to physicians attending the event was the demonstration of new technology that will be available on DHIN soon.  Medicity’s “I-NEXX” platform will allow physicians to access to a variety of applications that will provide specific types of product and services relevant to improving patient care.  The user experience will be similar to using a smart phone where icons of the different apps are displayed and clicked-on as needed.

Medication History Expected Online Later This Year

Dr. Lee announced that the next big addition to the DHIN system will be the availability to medical providers of patient medication history. “We have been working hard to get that information into the system and it will be available later this year,” she said. “Prescription information is often not available for doctors treating new patients. Having it online will help eliminate prescribing drugs that may have dangerous interactions with other medicine the patient is taking. It is important information for providers to have and an essential next step for our program.”

Medicity Provides Technical Infrastructure and Support

Throughout its tenure as the leading state-wide health information exchange, DHIN has contracted with Medicity (http://www.medicity.com/) as the company responsible for the technical infrastructure and overall support of the network. “DHIN is the innovator in health information exchange. We are proud to be associated with this ground-breaking organization who is realizing the benefits of combining information technology with community collaboration to improve healthcare,” said Brent Dover, President of Medicity.   “The benefits DHIN has achieved over the last five years have defined our market and are an example of what providing health information exchange should do for all communities,” Dover added.

About the Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN)

Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) is the first and most mature, live, statewide health information network in the nation. Launched in 2007, today it serves all of Delaware’s acute care hospitals and 92% of the State’s medical providers.  In 2012, more than 9,000,000 clinical results and reports will be posted on DHIN for over 1.3 million unique patients. Total patient records in the system include records for patients from all 50 states.  For more information about DHIN, visit www.DHIN.org or call 302-678-0220.

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