For Providers

CORHIO is a nonprofit, public-private partnership that is improving health care quality for all Coloradans through cost-effective and secure health information exchange (HIE) services. CORHIO is Colorado's state-designated entity to facilitate HIE.

What is Health Information Exchange?

Health Information Exchange, or HIE, is the technology that supports the flow of health information between physician practices, hospitals, long term care facilities, labs, radiology centers, and other health care institutions. HIE allows delivery of the right health information to the right place at the right time, providing safer, more timely, efficient, patient-centered care.

HIE Connects You to Other Health Care Providers in Your Community & Statewide

CORHIO makes it easy to exchange information with health care providers in your local community and statewide. Participation in the CORHIO HIE network gives you immediate access to send and receive data from any other provider who participates in the CORHIO HIE network.

Benefits of HIE to Health Care Providers:

• Faster access to lab results and radiology reports
• Streamlined access to patient histories and discharge summaries
• Community-wide and statewide connectivity
• Automated physician referral and consult processes
• Reduced administrative and overhead costs
• HIPAA-compliant data sharing with other health care providers

Health Care Providers Served by CORHIO HIE:

• Physicians
• Doctors of Dentistry, Optometry and Podiatry
• Physician Assistants
• Nurse Practitioners
• Certified Nurse Midwives
• Hospitals
• Safety Net Clinics
• Behavioral & Mental Health Providers
• County Departments of Public Health
• Long-term Care
• Home Health
• Hospice
• Labs
• Imaging Centers

In addition to the above health care providers, CORHIO is working with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE), the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) and health plans for participation in HIE.

A Community Approach to HIE in Colorado

CORHIO works closely with and among communities across Colorado to develop and implement secure systems and processes for sharing clinical information.  Currently, CORHIO is serving health care providers east of the continental divide and Summit County.  Providers west of the continental divide should contact the Quality Health Network (QHN) a fully-operational, regional HIE based out of Grand Junction, will be joining their networks for statewide connectivity.

Health care providers obtain the most benefit from HIE when multiple providers in their region are connected to the network. Therefore, CORHIO is working to implement large numbers of health care providers community-by-community. Communities are self-organizing with the support of CORHIO. The most active communities in the region CORHIO serves are: Boulder County, San Luis Valley, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Northern Colorado and Summit County.

CORHIO HIE Services

CORHIO services include:

• Building and maintenance of the statewide HIE network that ensures effective and secure data transfer to participating health care providers
• HIE implementation - building technology interfaces that connect providers to the HIE
• Staff training - training medical staff how to use the HIE, integrate HIE data access within workflow and how to protect patient privacy
• Help desk services - assisting participating providers with technical and non-technical questions
• Community education about Health IT and HIE

CORHIO Service Details

Clinical Messaging Features of the HIE
Health care providers using CORHIO's HIE network will be able to send and receive the following clinical information with other health care providers using CORHIO's HIE network:

Clinical messages can be integrated with your electronic health record (EHR) and/or accessed via the inbox/workflow tool within the CORHIO PatientCare 360°™ portal. We are also investigating inclusion of medication history, medication reconciliation and images among other data types.

EHR Interfaces
For health care providers on an EHR capable of interoperability, CORHIO provides interface implementation and support services to deliver clinical messaging straight into the EHR.

Not planning to implement an EHR?  Health care providers who choose not to implement an EHR can participate fully in exchanging clinical data through CORHIO's HIE network by using PatientCare 360°, a Web-based software tool. Every CORHIO HIE participant receives access to PatientCare 360° free with their subscription, regardless of whether they are using an EHR.

Community Health Record
All participating health care providers will have access to CORHIO's PatientCare 360° portal to access the Community Health Record. The Community Health Record offers a longitudinal view of a patient's medical history.  Health care providers set up to receive clinical messaging into the EHR will have the option of copying information from the Community Health Record to their EHR.

Implementation, Training and Help Desk
CORHIO offers full HIE implementation support in your office or organization, including workflow redesign focused on integrating HIE into your practice or organization's workflow.  We are committed to helping you maximize the benefits and value of participating in HIE network.  CORHIO also provides training on sending and receiving information and using the Community Health Record.  All HIE users will also have access to CORHIO's help desk so you are never without support.

> View the CORHIO HIE overview brochure (PDF)

Medicity HIE Technology

CORHIO is leveraging technology from Medicity for Colorado's HIE network. Medicity was selected after an eight-month review process that included more than 100 individuals representing hospitals, health clinics, physicians and health plans from across the state. Medicity was chosen for its flexible technology platform, its ability to adapt to federal legislation affecting health information technology and its clear commitment to ensuring the success of health information exchanges in Colorado and other states. Medicity was acquired by Aetna in January, for FAQs on this topic click here.

CO-REC Support for EHR Adoption & Upgrades

Some primary care physicians may be eligible for support in adopting or upgrading to a electronic health record (EHR) and achieving 'meaningful use' through CO-REC. CO-REC offers technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to support and accelerate Colorado primary care providers' efforts to become meaningful users of electronic health records (EHRs).

Get Started!

Check out the Community Roadmap and Toolkit or contact us.

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