ROCHESTER, NY – Rochester RHIO, the upstate New York regional health information organization, has extended its information exchange capabilities to six more hospitals in the area.

Leveraging Rochester RHIO’s technology platform, which is powered by Axolotl’s Elysium Exchange, authorized providers and physicians from six emergency departments – Clifton Springs, F.F. Thompson, Lakeside Memorial, Rochester General, United Memorial Medical Center, and Wyoming Community Hospital – are now able to securely view, manage and exchange essential patient information such as lab reports, test results, medication history, insurance information, radiology images and reports, hospital discharge summaries, elder services data and now critical medical information from ED’s.

Ted Kremer, Rochester RHIO's executive director, said implementing the health information exchange in emergency departments has been a priority for the organization. "We are happy that six EDs are using Rochester RHIO, and we’re working with other hospitals to bring this valuable tool to their emergency staffs," Kremer said. "ED physicians must make quick, often critical treatment decisions, and Rochester RHIO’s ability to supply clinical background information to support them is crucial."

In emergency situations, Rochester RHIO will save lives. If a patient is in a car accident, or unresponsive after a stroke or heart attack, ED doctors, with one click to the Elysium Virtual Health Record (VHR), can immediately access information such as medications, diagnoses, and recent lab results that could affect treatment decisions. Prior to the health information exchange, physicians had to rely on a patient’s memory, information from family members, or hard copy documents from other institutions.

Patients must sign a consent form to allow providers to see their information electronically using Rochester RHIO. More than 225,000 patients have said "yes" on consent forms. If a patient has not yet signed a consent form but is involved in a life-threatening emergency situation, doctors are able to access Rochester RHIO on a one-time emergency basis unless the patient has specifically declined consent to a particular provider.

"My patients love that I can see what they have had done elsewhere," says Bryan Gargano, MD, Rochester General Hospital's associate chief for emergency medicine. "Before the RHIO, it was a common frustration that I had to reorder tests or was unable to review a patient’s prior studies from outside facilities. Using Rochester RHIO allows me to synthesize the best care plan immediately. In this technologically advanced medical community, our patients expect and deserve this."