The state of Oregon is joining the burgeoning number of health information exchanges across the country, with the implementation of CareAccord, a statwide HIE officials say will promote improved communication between care providers, reduce duplicate orders and facilitate implementation of meaningful use requirements.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA), which will administer CareAccord, has selected Harris Corporation – the international IT company whose HIE projects include implementations for the State of Florida and the Department of Veteran Affairs – for Direct Secure Messaging, a point-to-point communications system that enables registered providers to exchange information, including attachments containing patient data, using any device with Internet access.

[See also: Health Information Exchange of Montana to create community-based EHR.]

This technology ensures secure delivery and receipt of messages, while providing the audit functions needed to share clinical information, officials say. It also leverages a provider directory to connect users with other registered organizations and providers – minimizing duplication of care and enhancing care coordination and collaboration.

"CareAccord represents a win-win for both patients and providers," said Carol Robinson, the state coordinator for health IT at OHA. "Providers will have the capacity to share vital medical history with specialists, labs and emergency departments. Patients will benefit from primary care physicians and specialists who can now exchange medical information electronically prior to scheduled appointments, improving patient safety and expanding the time patients have with their providers."

[See also: Oregon docs adopt new EHR software.]

"Harris enables CareAccord providers across Oregon to securely share patient information, to make it available when and where it is needed and to deliver the best possible care to patients," said Jim Traficant, president, Harris Healthcare Solutions.