Coloradans With Behavioral Health Conditions To Benefit From Enhanced Technology Designed To Support Better Care Coordination

DENVER, Jan. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, announced today that Rose Community Foundation is awarding CORHIO with a grant to improve health information exchange (HIE) for behavioral health practitioners and patients. The CORHIO HIE is a secure electronic network that enables health care practitioners to electronically share and access a patient's complete medical history and provide patients with better care.

Traditionally, behavioral health care providers, primary care physicians and hospitals have maintained separate medical records for their patients and have had difficulty communicating relevant information with one another between patient appointments or visits. This means that health care providers may not have a complete picture of a patient's overall health, which is especially vital for individuals who have behavioral health conditions.

In fact, research has found that individuals with mental health illness have a shorter lifespan than the general population,¹ which, in part, can be attributed to inconsistent and episodic care. It's also estimated that nearly 70 percent of adults with a mental illness have one or more chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and cardiovascular disease,² and are cared for by more than one provider. For optimal patient care, it's vital for all providers to have access to and share a complete picture of a patient's behavioral and physical health information.

"Rose Community Foundation's generous grant allows us to further expand and enhance the HIE network in Colorado, so that it better meets the needs of individuals with a behavioral health condition," says Kelly Joines, interim CEO at CORHIO. "Through the use of HIE, we can improve care coordination between behavioral and physical health providers, increase patient safety, and positively impact health care for Coloradans."

This is the second grant CORHIO has received from Rose Community Foundation and it will continue the partnership to improve care coordination for Coloradans being treated by behavioral health care providers. (See www.corhio.org/for-providers/behavioral-health/research for more details on first project). The new funding from Rose Community Foundation will allow CORHIO to enhance the HIE's technical infrastructure and better meet the needs of the behavioral health community through the following areas of focus:

• Implement a consent model for behavioral health, which provides patients with additional options for sharing their health information and allows them to identify specific providers who can have access to more sensitive aspects of their health records through the CORHIO HIE.
• Provide electronic personal health records to behavioral health patients, so they have the opportunity to manage their own health information via a highly secure online portal.

The CORHIO network has broad participation among all types of health care providers and organizations in Colorado, including private practice physicians, hospitals, medical laboratories, radiology centers, emergency medical services, public health departments, safety net clinics, nursing homes, post-acute care facilities, home health agencies and behavioral health centers. This allows participating health care providers the opportunity to access more comprehensive information on their patients. For a list of all providers participating on the CORHIO network, visit www.corhio.org.

About CORHIO

CORHIO (pronounced cō-ree-ō) 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.

¹ Manderscheid RW. Congruencies in increased mortality rates, years of potential life lost, and causes of death among public mental health clients in eight states. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2006 Apr [date cited]. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/apr/05_0180.htm.
² International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, Volume 13, Number 2. The US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R): design and field procedures. Available from URL: www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/wmh/publishedpaper_kessler_design.pdf‎

SOURCE CORHIO

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