The Wright Center Moderates Remote Panel Discussion About Health Records

“Sharing Data, Saving Lives: The Healthcare Interoperability Agenda” will premiere Friday, March 19, at 7 p.m. on WVIA-TV. Additional air dates include Sunday, March 21, 2 p.m.; Thursday, March 25, 9 p.m.; and Sunday, March 28, 3 p.m. This is the second episode in a four-part special series that delves into the importance of partnerships and pathways needed for physicians, hospitals — and even patients themselves — to be able to access electronic health records containing crucial medical histories anywhere and any time.

Healthcare interoperability means patient health information can be safely exchanged between labs, hospitals, pharmacies, primary care offices, etc., in order to advance the effective delivery of care. Interoperability makes it easier for medical providers to share patient information with one another and in real time. For example, a patient who is on vacation and falls ill may not be able to provide all details of his medical history, which can make all the difference to the emergency room doctor charged with his care.

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health and President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, moderates a remote panel discussion that also includes:

• Martin Ciccocioppo, Director of the Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Program in the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
• Marty Lupinetti, President and CEO of HealthShare Exchange, a health data hub with more than 10 million patients throughout the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware Valley regions, including southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey
• Kim Chaundry,  Operations Director for the Keystone Health Information Exchange, which serves more than 5.8 million patients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“The ability to safely exchange and access your health information between your doctor, pharmacies, hospitals and other healthcare providers in real time is extremely important, especially during a pandemic,” explained Dr. Thomas-Hemak. “It allows your primary care doctor to know, for example, that you tested positive for COVID-19, enabling your physician’s office to proactively reach out and provide appropriate care. 

“Interoperability also offers you easy access to your own health information, which is critical now that we have COVID vaccinations available,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak added. “It has the power to track vaccine administration, the type of vaccine administered, side effects, and to generate second-dose scheduling efforts. Without interoperability, patient care and safety are at risk, costs are higher and the transition to value-based care is jeopardized.”