Summer is right around the corner, and for many Vermonters, that means heading to some of the most idyllic spots in the state to enjoy all the season has to offer. However, even within the scenic beauty that is summertime in Vermont, people may still need medical care. Whether it’s an inopportune case of strep throat or scraping your foot on a rusty nail, it’s comforting to know your health information will follow you as you journey anywhere in the state.
VITL, Vermont’s non-profit health data sharing network, offers doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, care coordinators, and other health care providers a centralized place to access a more complete, up-to-date patient record for any Vermonter, including information from most of the places they receive care all across the state.
Here are five insights into how health information sharing, supported by VITL, improves health outcomes for everyone by sharing relevant data with the right people, at the right time.
1. The meaning of “health information sharing”
The health information part of “health information sharing” is your patient record. This includes basic information such as your name, age, and birthdate as well as medications, allergies, X-ray reports, and lab results; essentially, everything a care provider may need to provide appropriate care. Care and instructions you receive during a provider visit are also included. This information is all part of your medical history available to providers and other authorized team members at the organizations where Vermonters receive health care.
VITL securely collects and organizes patient health data in order to deliver a more complete health record for each Vermonter.
2. Complete patient data facilitates good care
When your health care professionals can quickly access more complete health information, they have the tools they need to more effectively guide your treatment. It also takes the burden off of you having to remember every immunization you’ve received or the name and dosage of your medications. The records in VITL aren’t just about your care at one organization; they include information about your health from hospitals, practices, specialists, pharmacies, and labs all across Vermont.
For example, you’re from Brattleboro but spending a weekend this summer at a cabin near Lake Champlain and you have a severe bout of food poisoning that lands you in the emergency room. Although you’ve never been to this hospital, the doctors treating you may be able to see the medications you’re taking, any allergies you may have to medications, relevant past injuries and illnesses, and more thanks to the data shared via VITL. Or if you go to a checkup, your provider may be able to use VITL to pull certain information about care you’ve received in other places directly into their electronic health record, including what vaccinations you’ve had and which you are due for. Your provider can also contribute information about your health and your care from that visit, so it is available to other care team members who may need it.
3. A closer look at who else has access to your health information.
Authorized staff and providers at insurance companies can use VITL data for certain activities that help make sure their members are getting the best possible care. For example, if a member has recently been to the hospital, insurance care managers can confirm that person has access to medication and support while they recover at home.
Designated staff and providers involved in some health care delivery reform programs and accountable care organizations are also able to access health data to help measure the effectiveness and equity of health care for Vermonters; help deliver well-coordinated, whole-person health care; and help reduce the cost of care for individuals and across the state.
4. Rest assured, your personal information is safe.
Health information requires the highest levels of security, privacy, confidentiality, and trust.
Access is restricted to providers and other health care professionals who are authorized to see patient information by the organizations they work for. They commit to viewing the minimum necessary information in their work on behalf of Vermonters. All users are guided by state and federal law, the HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rule, and VITL policies. And all use is tracked.
Keeping Vermonters’ data secure is the priority of VITL staff. Therefore, VITL adheres to national cybersecurity standards, and the team is always on alert for the latest threats.
5. You are in control of your information.
To see what your providers see, simply request your records from VITL. You can also request an access audit to identify which organizations and health care professionals have seen your records.
Learn more about your options, including the ability to opt-out of data sharing, on vitl.net/sharing and the VITL team is available to talk with you and answer questions about health information sharing. VITL’s toll-free number is 1-888-980-1243. If you have opted out in the past and have changed your mind, you can opt back in.
Health information shared responsibly is vital to Vermonters, helping doctors and providers deliver even better care and helping ensure Vermont remains one of the healthiest states in the country.
So this summer, wherever your adventures take you throughout our beautiful state, rest assured your health is in good hands.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Five things to know about health information sharing in Vermont.