The Center for Cardiovascular Health at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) was awarded funding of $5,000 from Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) for its participation in a pilot program. The pilot provided the Center early access to VITLAccess, which is designed to share patient health information through the Vermont Health Information Exchange (HIE), which is managed by VITL.
VITLAccess is a new, secure web based provider portal that allows healthcare providers to search and view information about their patients who may have received care from healthcare organizations across the state and in the surrounding area. This information includes radiology and lab reports, hospital admission, discharge and transfer summaries, medication history, and other health information. VITLAccess will be offered to all providers across the state beginning in the spring of 2014.
“VITLAccess is an essential tool for improving collaboration across our community and the State,” said Marcy Rushford, Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Health. “Providers will have more accessible and complete healthcare information on their patients, which in turn allows for improved care and outcomes.”
“VITLAccess allows providers to have instant access to patient health information where it matters most – at the point of care,” said VITL president and CEO John K. Evans. “The pilot program with the Center and other providers throughout the state is verifying this and in turn is illustrating how the promise of health information technology can improve the quality of care for every Vermonter.”
According to Dr. R. Mark Burke, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services and Medical Director of Accountable Care and Population Health: “VITLAccess is a big step towards ensuring the continuity of medical care for all our patients whether they are in Brattleboro or Berlin. We are grateful to Deb Brown who played a critical role in obtaining this award. The BMH Physicians Group is pleased to be a recipient of the award and looks forward to its role in advancing the cause of improved patient care in Vermont.”
Debra Brown, Reception Coordinator for the Center, & Laurie Dix, RN, Manager coordinated the workflows between BMH and VITL.
Brattleboro Cardiology is a member of BMH Physician Group, a multispecialty group practice of primary care and specialty care providers with locations in Brattleboro, Putney and Bellows Falls.
About VITL
Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL) is a non-profit organization that assists Vermont health care providers statewide with adopting and using health information technology to improve the quality of care delivery as well as to enhance patient safety and outcomes. Comprised of a collaborative group of stakeholders including health plans, hospitals, physicians, other health care providers, state government, employers, and consumers, VITL is the designated health information exchange (HIE) for the state of Vermont and also the state’s federally-designated regional extension center. For more information, please visit www.vitl.net.
