Centra Live with MedVirginia and the NwHIN
MedVirginia and Centra announced today that Centra’s three hospitals are now live with the Social Security Administration (SSA) MEGAHIT project. MedVirginia partnered with Lynchburg, VA-based Centra to bring its hospitals online with the SSA: Centra Lynchburg General Hospital and Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital, both in Lynchburg, and Centra Southside Community Hospital in Farmville, VA.
In 2009, MedVirginia became the first organization to connect to the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN) with the SSA MEGAHIT project. Based on this success, the SSA awarded contracts to fifteen additional healthcare organizations in 2010, and the MedVirginia/Centra collaboration is among the first of the fifteen to connect in this phase.
In this expansion, MedVirginia leveraged its proven health information exchange (HIE) infrastructure and CONNECT gateway to the NwHIN by establishing a link with Centra’s McKesson clinical information system. The information exchange is based on the HITSP/C32 Continuity of Care Document (CCD) format. Centra’s McKesson clinical data repository (CDR) is being connected in a federated manner, meaning it will remain separate from MedVirginia’s CDR, and transactions will flow across MedVirginia’s CONNECT gateway to the NwHIN.
MedVirginia’s CEO, Michael Matthews, stated, “We are very pleased to welcome Centra to the growing MedVirginia family and to the NwHIN. Centra has the distinction of being named one of the Top 100 Most Wired Hospitals by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine for the past three years, and is a proven leader in advancing health information exchange within the state. We have thoroughly enjoyed our partnership with Terri Ripley, Centra’s Director of Systems and Programming, and her colleagues in this collaboration.”
Ben Clark, Centra’s Chief Information Officer said, “This is a very important undertaking for Centra and our patients throughout Central and Southside Virginia. Using MedVirginia’s gateway to the Nationwide Health Information Network is providing significantly faster transfer of medical records for our patients who are applying for disability benefits. We are excited to be a part of SSA’s approach to expediting the disability determination process.”
A link to SSA’s 2010 press release regarding the MEGAHIT project is provided here. www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/nhin0210-pr.htm
About MedVirginia
MedVirginia LLC, established in 2000, is a provider-owned organization based in Richmond, VA. Its organizational purpose is to improve quality, safety and efficiency through the use of health information technology. At its core is MedVirginia Solution®, a community-based health information exchange linking clinical data from physicians, hospitals, labs and pharmacies. In January 2006, MedVirginia’s health information exchange became operational, making it among the first operational community-based systems in the U.S. In 2009, MedVirginia became the first HIE to exchange live patient health information across the NwHIN and in 2010 became the first HIE to connect to the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) initiative with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
About Centra
With more than 5,500 healthcare professionals, Centra provides a comprehensive range of medical services, including three hospitals, a cancer center and physician practices serving people from Farmville to Bedford and from Nelson County to Danville. Centra Lynchburg General Hospital with 275 beds offers cardiac care with more than 5,000 major cardiac procedures annually, emergency department services with more than 85,000 patient visits annually, critical care services, orthopedic services, neurology and neurosurgery, diabetes/renal services, pulmonary care and an outpatient surgery center. Nearby, Centra Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center offers comprehensive cancer care services in one convenient location. Virginia Baptist Hospital, which has 317 beds, is home to the region’s women’s and children’s services, skilled care and rehabilitation, mental health services, ambulatory surgery and a number of specialty services. In 2006, Centra Southside Community Hospital joined Centra as an affiliate. This hospital offers 116 beds and serves patients in Farmville and eight surrounding counties.
Contacts
MedVirginia LLC
Jeff Odell
Senior VP, Marketing and Business Development
(804) 359-4500 x227
[email protected]
