PRMC and DHIN Work Together to Remove State Line Barriers to Medical Records
DOVER, DE – May 6, 2015 – While technology knows no bounds, the same could not always be said for important medical test results. Until very recently, Delaware residents being treated on the Maryland Eastern Shore did not have the benefit of having medical test results electronically delivered to their Delaware physicians and updated in the state’s community health record, the Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN.)
The recent addition of the Eastern Shore’s largest hospital network – Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) based in Salisbury, Maryland – to the system provides for an even more complete community health record for Delawareans.
“With respect to healthcare, the speed at which state lines are blurring continues to accelerate, and the addition of an institution as large as PRMC is momentous,” said Dr. Jan Lee, CEO of DHIN. “We see a time in the very near future when doctors across the country will have seamless and secure exchange of health information across a borderless system, regardless of where the patient lives, works or vacations. These are the first steps to making that level of clinical access a reality.”
When fully online later this year, laboratory, pathology and radiology test results as well as the transcription summaries of thousands of Delawareans who seek care at PRMC will be delivered and accessed through DHIN.
“The days of patients being asked to carry copies of their own records, or of medical practices needing to fax, scan or mail results is diminishing,” added Dr. Lee. “This is a very exciting moment for all of us. It is the deepest across-state-lines agreement we have developed to-date, and it will result in saved time and effort for medical professionals and better care for patients.”
In addition to the flow of information, PRMC doctors and medical practices are being trained on how to use DHIN so they can not only update but have access to previous test results conducted by other hospitals and facilities, dating as far back as 2007.
PRMC is the largest Maryland hospital to join DHIN, continuing the momentum begun in 2013 when Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, MD came aboard and expanding earlier this spring when Union Hospital came onboard. DHIN was the first statewide health information exchange to launch in the United States (May, 2007) and is considered among the nation’s most mature.
About DHIN
DHIN, the Delaware Health Information Network, is the first live, statewide health information network in the nation. Launched in 2007, today it serves all of Delaware’s acute care hospitals and approaching 100% of the State’s medical providers. More than 14,000,000 clinical results and reports are delivered through DHIN each year. Total unique patients represented in the system now exceed 2.1 million including patients from all 50 states. For more information about DHIN visit www.DHIN.org or call 302-678-0220. Please also visit us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@DHIN_hie).
About Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC)
Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) in Salisbury, Maryland offers the widest array of specialty and subspecialty services on the Delmarva Peninsula, and has been meeting the healthcare needs of Delmarva Peninsula residents since 1897. PRMC offers a full range of services, including neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, joint replacement, emergency/trauma care, wound care, comprehensive cancer care, pediatrics and outpatient services. PRMC offers access to clinical trials and the latest technologies, including robotic surgery and advanced disease detection and treatment options for safer care, faster recoveries and better outcomes, and has received more than 125 national awards, certifications and recognitions over the past six years for the safety and care it provides patients.
