Iowa Pharmacies Partner in Statewide Health Information Exchange

• By: IPA
• On: 05/15/2015 23:06:15
• In: Press Releases

Many health care organizations, including pharmacies, have been making changes to the way they do business through the utilization of health information technology (HIT). In collaboration with Iowa e-Health, a collaborative effort in Iowa covering HIT adoption, the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA) is working to integrate pharmacy services into the Iowa Health Information Network (IHIN), Iowa's statewide health information exchange. Beginning in June 2015, three pharmacy groups representing over 20 pharmacy locations will look to improve health care quality, safety, and efficiency through the use of HIT.
 
With pilot project approval by the Iowa Board of Health, this initiative will provide chain, independent, and long-term care (LTC) pharmacies the opportunity to identify the benefits of IHIN use for pharmacy and address barriers to its use. As a six-month pilot project, specific goals for each pharmacy include:

• Integrating Direct Secure Messaging (DSM) and Patient Look-Up (PLU) access and functionality into current community & LTC pharmacy workflow,
• Improving acceptance rate of pharmacy-based medication therapy management (MTM) recommendations/interventions,
• Improving efficiency with medication list transitions in care specifically for LTC facilities and improve communication of laboratory data for MTM recommendations/intervention,
• Communicating care plans through collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) in order to capture opportunities for transitional care management (TCM) services, and
• Determining the value proposition for pharmacy's involvement to effectively establish appropriate participation fees for IHIN and to develop testimonials to further gain involvement of the pharmacy profession in IHIN.

 
The results of this initiative will be shared with IPA and serve as a case study for further integration of pharmacy into the IHIN. This important initiative will facilitate the electronic movement of pharmacy- related information among healthcare providers and organizations according to nationally recognized data standards. The availability of more complete health information (e.g., medications, problem lists, recent procedures) through the IHIN will allow health care providers to deliver safer, faster, and more effective treatment for patients.
 
For more information on Iowa e-Health, visit www.iowaehealth.org/provider.