Ramona Adams
The Defense Department has approved an electronic health information exchange between Fort Drum’s medical department activity and community healthcare providers in New York.
Under the initiative, Fort Drum MEDDAC has integrated the medical electronic records of soldiers and their families into HealtheConnections‘ data exchange system, the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization said Wednesday.
The partnership aims to prevent duplicate medical procedures and give community providers access to the EHRs of military personnel from connected facilities across New York state.
Veterans who live in the central and northern parts of the state are also covered by the health information exchange agreement through HealtheConnections’ partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to FDRHPO.
FDRHPO added providers can opt to receive e-mail or phone alerts on a patient’s health-related concerns such as instances when a patient receives treatment or is sent to the emergency room.
The health information exchange system is also intended to provide users access to magnetic resonance imaging, x-ray, mammogram and computed tomography images from 28 central and northern New York-based radiology centers.
The HealtheConnections network currently connects nearly 300 healthcare providers from Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.
