OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Netsmart announced a new partnership with the Jefferson County, New York Public Health Service (JCPHS) in northern New York to improve communication between area home health and long-term care providers and HealtheConnections; central New York’s Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO). Netsmart is an innovative healthcare technology provider that provides electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange, data analytics, mobile clinical and consumer engagement solutions for behavioral health, social services and post-acute communities.
While Jefferson County’s Public Health Service serves a variety of health provider communities, a large portion addresses certified home health and long-term care. The county also supports nearby Fort Drum, making them well situated for integrating services that meet the needs for both active military and civilian populations.
Tracking an individual through the care continuum via integrated technology that seamlessly shares relevant information with the care team is a vital component in effectively and efficiently treating the whole person. Netsmart technology provides a platform for Jefferson County, home health and long-term care providers to securely share health information with other community providers through HealtheConnections to ensure smooth transitions between care settings.
“We have a team that provides amazing care to our communities, but it’s a unique challenge to provide high-quality care for someone when you only have half of the information,” said Ginger Hall, Jefferson County of NY Director of Public Health. “This new technology provides a perfect way to obtain important patient information without providers having to call or fax and then wait for the information. It’s the most standardized, secure and efficient way for patient data to be shared.”
Making sure that communication and information sharing occurs seamlessly is a key factor for JCPHS to integrate with HealtheConnections. Being able to stay as up-to-date as possible on a patient’s status is key for effective care coordination, particularly when providing care in a home setting. For example, alert notifications notify JCPHS when significant patient activity occurs, such as when they are admitted and discharged from the emergency department. Access to all of this information is vital for JCPHS to be able to make effective decisions when managing a patient’s care plan.
“We know how valuable patient information from other providers can be when making care decisions,” said Hall. “We want to get to a point where we’re fluently sharing our information. Delivery system reform and other legislation demand that we’re investing in the right technology to ensure we’re communicating and sharing information effectively. We strongly believe that by connecting Netsmart with HealtheConnections our access to data will positively improve outcomes for the communities and individuals we serve in the post-acute care sector.”
The first phase of integrating Netsmart into JCPHS’s home health operations includes creating a seamless workflow to send patient information from the point of care to HealtheConnections. This creates a longitudinal view for an individual’s history so care providers can have full access to the entire picture of care history.
“Seamless, secure communication and data sharing is part of the foundation in integrating care between providers and communities,” said Netsmart Vice-President and General Manager AJ Peterson, “We’re excited to work alongside Jefferson County to provide the right tools so clinicians and other care providers in the county can have a complete view to be able to treat individuals in the community with a truly holistic approach.”
JCPHS understands that the connecting with other providers is vital to provide whole person care in all settings, including home health and long-term care. The county’s efforts toward advancing its digital connections with HealtheConnections highlights its commitment to improving the health of its residents in both the county and surrounding region.
About Jefferson County, New York Public Health Service
The Jefferson County Public Health Service (JCPHS) provides a comprehensive array of community health care and related services in accordance with NYS Public Health Law and Codes, Rules, and Regulations. The department is overseen by the Director of Public Health who is appointed by the Jefferson County Board of Legislators. Programs include: Health Planning, Health Promotion Programs, Communicable Disease Reporting and Control, Home Health Care, Preventive Nursing Programs, Rabies Control · Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Physically Handicapped Children’s Program, Children with Special Health Care Needs, Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Immunization Clinic, STD/HIV Clinic, Travel Health Services, Emergency Medical Services, Medical Examiner.
About Netsmart
Netsmart is an innovative healthcare technology provider that provides electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange, data analytics, mobile clinical and consumer engagement solutions for behavioral health, social services and post-acute communities. Our common platform, the CareFabric®, integrates seamlessly with the industry’s first-of-its-kind population management platform that uniquely focuses on community-based providers and supports transitions of care, bundles and value-based payment models.
We are passionate about integrating care across all aspects of a community, which is why the Netsmart ecosystem provides more than an EHR by offering the largest national HIE in the post-acute community to connect post-acute, social services and behavioral health organizations with their health systems and community provider partners.
Our more than 560,000 users in more than 25,000 organizations across the U.S. work together with our more than 1,350 Netsmart associates to connect communities and information across the care spectrum. Our technology ensures comprehensive data flows between behavioral health; addiction treatment; intellectual and developmental disabilities; child and family services; public health; long-term/post-acute care; home health; hospice; palliative care; private duty and vital records, to ensure providers have consistent and reliable information at their fingertips when it is needed.
The only thing constant in healthcare is change. Netsmart brings significant expertise working with behavioral health, social services and post-acute care communities, as well as the complex state and federal billing requirements unique to these communities. More importantly, we understand the importance of clinical adoption; training and support; regulatory compliance; and the need to connect to the rest of healthcare.
Our solutions and services are built with these challenges in mind and are designed to solve them so our clients can focus on what they do best: provide quality care to their communities. Our clients are strong advocates for those who don’t always have a voice, which is why Netsmart is dedicated to leading change within the industry by breaking down barriers to provide a person-centric and holistic view of each individual.
Learn more about how Netsmart is changing the face of healthcare today. Visit www.ntst.com, call 1-800-472-5509, follow us on our CareThreads Blog, LinkedIn and Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit us on YouTube.
Netsmart is pleased to support the EveryDayMatters® Foundation, which was established for behavioral health, social services and post-acute organizations to learn from each other and share their causes and stories.