Alabama, Georgia connect to exchange health information

A new state-to-state connection promises to blur the lines between Alabama and Georgia when it comes to securely exchanging health information.

Medicaid patients in Alabama and most patients in Georgia who cross state lines to see medical providers will now benefit from the secure state-to-state connection established in mid-October by Alabama’s One Health Record statewide health information exchange and Georgia’s health information exchange, Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN). The new connection allows patients who receive care in both states to have their information shared between physicians, resulting in quality and coordinated care across state lines.

“By connecting with GaHIN, we help advance the health of the citizens of Alabama and Georgia by putting more complete patient information in the healthcare providers’ hands,” said One Health Record Director Paul Brannan. “Ultimately, we will also be able to reduce unnecessary healthcare costs, increase administrative efficiencies and improve health outcomes.”

This is the first connection of its kind for Alabama, as it seeks to increase secure, real-time access to essential patient information for physicians, hospitals and other medical providers at the point of care. It is the second connection for Georgia, which previously connected to South Carolina’s HIE.

“Healthcare doesn’t stop at the state line, so we need to ensure that physicians in both Georgia and Alabama have real-time access to patient health information at the point of care,” Denise Hines, executive director of GaHIN, said in a statement. “Having medical history and pertinent patient information from the neighboring states can help improve care quality and save time by providing critical information at the point of care during non-urgent and emergency situations.”