Data Sharing
What is a Health Information Exchange (HIE)?
An HIE is a system that allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health care providers, others from participating HIE organizations, your health plan, and patients to securely share a patient’s health information with each other. This means your care team can access important parts of your medical record electronically no matter where you receive care.
How does an HIE benefit me as a patient?
The goal of HIE integration is to improve the completeness of your health care records, thereby making your health history, current medications, allergies and other health information available to your health care providers, helping them to provide safer, more timely patient care. This can improve the quality of care and health outcomes, provide cost savings, and reduce the potential of conflicting diagnoses, duplicative or conflicting prescriptions, conflicting treatment plans, and repeated laboratory tests. Participation in HIEs also enables providers to obtain quicker access to your health history and provide coordinated care, especially if you see multiple providers or need care during an emergency.
Who can access patient information in an HIE?
Your care team — which may include your doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers, along with your health plan and those working on their behalf — are among the participants who may access your health information in HIEs. These HIE participants may only view your health information as necessary to provide you with health care. In addition, when permitted by applicable law, certain other approved entities like medical examiners and coroners, public health authorities and organ procurement organizations might access the HIE for specific purposes. These may include conducting death investigations, public health investigations and activities related to organ, eye or tissue donation and transplantation. The use of HIEs is strictly governed and controlled to protect patient information and may only be used consistent with the law and the applicable HIE’s policies.
What type of information is shared through HIE?
Commonly shared information includes your medical history, lab results, imaging reports, medications, and allergies. This information helps your providers make better informed, safer and more effective care recommendations.
Can I opt out of HIE if I don’t want my information shared?
Yes, if you would like to receive care from Crossover, but wish to opt-out of Crossover’s sharing your health records with HIEs, please contact privacy@crossoverhealth.com. Opting out of HIEs may limit the information available to doctors and other providers involved in your care, including in case of medical emergencies. Opting out also means your healthcare provider might not have a complete view of your medical history, which can be critical for making informed care decisions.
How is my PHI protected at Crossover Health?
We follow strict physical, electronic, and administrative safeguards to protect your health information from unauthorized access. Only Crossover personnel who need to see your information for your care are allowed access, and every staff member is trained to comply with our privacy policies. For more information, please refer to our Notice of Privacy Practices available at https://crossoverhealth.com/legal/#notice_of_privacy_practices