DHIN Launches Pilot Program for New
"Encounter Notification System"

Knowing when patients have been admitted to or discharged from a hospital in “real time” can give physicians the ability to engage with patients more quickly and improve continuity of care. Soon, a simple alert system - called DHIN’s Encounter Notification System - will make that possible across the state.

In September, we launched a pilot program with two Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance Managed Care Organizations (Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated and United Healthcare). Christiana Care Health System and Bayhealth Medical Center Emergency Departments began providing ADT (admission, discharge, transfer) information to those Managed Care Organizations through DHIN’s Encounter Notification System, designed for DHIN powered by Audacious Inquiry.

Saint Francis Healthcare, Beebe Medical Center, and Nanticoke Memorial Hospital quickly followed the initial pilot and are now contributing ADT Data into the Encounter Notification System and alerting the Medicaid Payers as well. At the end of October three practices will begin beta testing the system as well. It is expected that the system will be available to all payers and physicians by early 2014. By full launch, ADT information may also be available from the Maryland hospitals which will be helpful to physicians who see clients in both states.

That is important because, beginning in January 2013, two new Medicare codes went into effect. Introduced by CMS, these Transition Care Management CPT billing codes provide financial reimbursements for doctors and practices to engage hospitalized and ER-treated patients in an effort to facilitate quick follow-up with the primary care physician or specialist, helping the patient avoid relapse and/or re-admittance.

What can this mean to your practice? To better understand the potential financial impact of the Encounter Notification System, we have included a calculator that will allow you to estimate the annual revenue you can derive under the Transition Care Management CPT reimbursement codes.

One Is All It Takes

DHIN is providing participating physicians with the opportunity to subscribe to the Encounter Notification System (ENS) at a flat, up-front rate of $4,000 for a two year subscription. Or practices may choose to make monthly subscription fee payments of $185 per month but must commit to a two-year subscription. There is also a one-time practice activation fee of $200 per provider (capped at $3,000 per practice), due upon enrollment. With reimbursements ranging between $135-$231 per Medicare patient, all it takes is about one Medicare patient per provider to cover the activation fee and about one Medicare patient per month per practice to cover the monthly subscription fee. For a practice with the average of four providers, just 16 Medicare patients a year will cover the cost of the Encounter Notification System.

The Importance of Protecting Patient Privacy

In today’s world, technology continues to grow in leaps and bounds. With that being said, it also creates a greater need for security of vital and personal information. DHIN takes security of patient information very seriously. As part of DHIN’s Privacy and Security Procedures, there are several key points to keep in mind. The first is that DHIN users are expected to comply with all state and federal guidelines pertaining to patient privacy, like those outlined in the DHIN Data Use Agreement and under HIPAA. While this information is presented to all new users upon their initial DHIN training, we encourage all of our users to reacquaint themselves with these guidelines regularly. While access to DHIN is restricted to licensed medical professionals and their designated staff, DHIN monitors system use regularly to help ensure it complies with privacy regulations.

For the sake of clarity, below are several key points that each DHIN enrolled practice should follow in order to help protect the security of patient information:

• Practices should provide their staff a copy of the Confidentiality & Non-Disclosure Agreement for their signature and a copy should be kept on file by the practice.
• Once a user leaves the practice, their access must be terminated. This can be completed by the Practice Administrator or by contacting DHIN’s Help Desk at helpdesk@dhin.org.
• Users must NEVER share their login or password for ProAccess.
• Users may NOT access any records unless they are for a current patient of the practice and it is for clinical use.
• Practices are encouraged to remind staff regularly that misuse of access to DHIN could result in serious consequences for the individual and the practice.

Adhering to these key points will help protect patient privacy as well as maintain a practice’s good standing and uninterrupted access to DHIN and the Community Health Record.  Please remember that access to DHIN is restricted and activity is regularly monitored.  Any questionable activity is escalated to the primary licensed medical professional for a review and an explanation of the issue in question. Practices that receive an “audit alert” from DHIN are expected to review the incident in question and respond with a complete summary of events and any corresponding action being taken by the practice. As always, please contact your DHIN relationship manager if you have any questions regarding patient privacy on DHIN.  Look for more information from DHIN on privacy and security protocols throughout the month of October.

Passengers flying business and first class on American Airlines international flights will reach their destination with new perspectives on DHIN. This winter, the airline will feature a professionally produced three minute video about DHIN and the leadership of the First State in the health information exchange industry. The piece offers its own “30,000 foot” view of how DHIN saves time, money and lives. For a preview of the piece (without the cost of first class airfare), click here and choose the gray tab labeled "Videos".

Practices receiving an upgrade to Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) or installing new software from Microsoft, are experiencing issues with ProAccess. DHIN members have two options: utilize DHIN in "compatibility mode" by updating the settings of your web browser or reinstall the previous version of IE9 on your web browser. We offer two videos that will walk you through the steps for either option you choose:

IE 10 remove update instructions.mp4 IE 10 compatability view instructions.mp4

For additional assistance, please call our Help Desk at 302-480-1770 during normal business hours and we will be happy to help you.

For Just a reminder: After a successful pilot period this summer, the DHIN Help Desk is now open every weekday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for all DHIN subscribers. Medicity, our third-party software and technical production vendor, covers overflow calls during that time and handles inquiries at night and over the weekends. When you have an issue, please contact us at 302-480-1770 or send an email to helpdesk@dhin.org.  For issues outside of normal business hours, during holidays and weekends, please call the Medicity Helpdesk at 1-866-439-3446, or send an e-mail to Customer_Support@medicity.com. Catch one and we’ll send you a DHIN PRIZE.

"Delaware patients and providers are lucky to have DHIN. The operational efficiencies created by the Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) are truly unparalleled. Where else can you go for one stop shopping for all of your patient’s test results and reports? DHIN is a must have for managers looking to create operational efficiency in private practice.”

Joshua D. Vaught, Chief Executive Officer, Delaware Orthopedic Specialists

We hear stories of improvement across nearly every aspect of patient care from DHIN users - and we want to hear yours! If you have a story to tell about how DHIN has improved outcomes of care or the overall patient experience, please let us know by sending an email to DHINStories@DHIN.org or by calling 302-678-0220 and speaking with your DHIN Relationship Manager.