ATLANTA – Jersey Health Connect, the Northern and Central New Jersey Health Information Exchange, has chosen RelayHealth to provide secure health information exchange (HIE) technology to improve care coordination across competitive organizations, to provide eligible providers the tools they need to demonstrate meaningful use in pursuit of incentives, and to enhance care collaboration for the health of the patients and communities the health information exchange serves.

“Health systems across the nation are taking steps to improve the health of their communities”

The Jersey Health Connect Health Information Exchange, incorporated February 1, 2010, comprises 17 member hospitals and health systems, medical groups, a physician collaborative organization, and a long term care organization throughout northern and central New Jersey. These participating organizations, many of which are traditionally competitors, collaboratively formed the health information exchange to enhance care coordination for improved patient care and to help member hospitals and physicians adopt technology solutions to qualify for incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) HITECH provisions.

Six of the health information exchange’s participating organizations – Atlantic Health System, Solaris Health System, St. Barnabas Medical Center, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, Summit Medical Group and Vista IPA – have already implemented the RelayHealth system and have been using it to support their enterprise health information exchange strategies. Currently, 1,925 physicians using disparate electronic health records (EHRs) are able to share clinical data that is aggregated and distributed through the RelayHealth platform for more than 1,000,000 patients.

“A key differentiator was RelayHealth’s ability to connect patients as seamlessly as they connect providers,” said Jacque Brodt-Suggs, communications chair, Jersey Health Connect. “Security and privacy are extremely important to the patient. RelayHealth’s ability to connect all stakeholders, and to do so securely, helped the group make their decision.”

Jersey Health Connect board member Lou Hermans stated, “The patient-physician relationship is the critical link in healthcare. Hospitals offer the critical mass to drive important new strategies like health information exchange or accountable care. The organizations that make up Jersey Health Connect are driving patient- and physician-centric change to improve the health of our communities.”

“Health systems across the nation are taking steps to improve the health of their communities,” said Jim Bodenbender, president, RelayHealth Connectivity Solutions. “Jersey Health Connect clearly demonstrates that competing organizations can and will work together for the better good of the communities they serve. As a result of their collaboration,health information exchange will improve the quality and lower the cost of care for their patients and we applaud the organizations that comprise Jersey Health Connect for overcoming competitive differences to work together on behalf of their patients and we are proud to support them and their patients to improve the quality of care in New Jersey.”

The Jersey Health Connect health information exchange will leverage RelayHealth’s results reporting, CCD exchange, patient health record (PHR), and secure messaging to share information through the HIE and, eventually, to the planned New Jersey Health Information Network. Members of Jersey Health Connect include:

• Atlantic Health System
• CentraState Healthcare System
• CJHIEP, Inc
• Children's Specialized Hospital
• Francis E Parker Memorial Home
• Hackensack University Medical Center
• Holy Name Hospital
• Hunterdon HealthCare
• Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center
• Saint Claire's Health System
• Saint Peters Healthcare System
• Solaris Health System
• Somerset Medical Center
• Summit Medical Group
• Trinitas Regional Medical Center
• Vista IPA

About Jersey Health Connect

The Northern and Central New Jersey Health Information Exchange (HIE) Collaborative, was officially incorporated February 1 under the name "Jersey Health Connect," It is one of four HIEs in the state awarded economic stimulus grant funds from the $11.4 million that New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority received from the Department of Health and Human Services. The funds will help the collaboration of competing providers -- hospital systems and physician organizations serving 6 million people in 10 counties (2008 statistics) — to support rapid stakeholder expansion and adoption of current data exchange efforts regionally and state-wide. New Jersey's Office of e-HIT administers the grants disbursed through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Jersey Health Connect Mission

• Ensure health information is available when and where it is needed both locally and nationally
• Accelerate members' current health information exchange activity
• Improve care coordination, access, outcomes and efficiencies through the use of technologies facilitating to real-time clinical exchange
• Comply with national standards related to privacy and security considerations
• Allow organizations to maintain individual technology strategies
• Provide consumers with their health information and encourage active and informed participation

About RelayHealth

RelayHealth, McKesson’s connectivity business, enables the secure exchange of clinical, financial and administrative information between patients, providers, payers, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and government agencies. RelayHealth processes nearly 15 billion healthcare transactions annually as the result of integrating the delivery of high-quality care and improving the financial outcomes for its customers. For more information, call 888.743.8735, or visit our Web site at www.RelayHealth.com. Follow us on Twitter (@RelayHealth) or visit the RelayHealth Facebook page.