Northern Virginia to Launch Physician-Led Regional HIE

The Medical Society of Northern Virginia has announced the formation of a physician-led regional health information exchange (HIE).

The vision of HeaLixVA is to get as many people who can generate data as possible, said Jim Jenkins, M.D., the medical director for the Fairfax, Va.-based Family Practice Centers. The group has a dozen offices and is participating in the launch of the exchange. “From the patient’s point of view, it reduces that feeling that no one knows what’s going on,” Jenkins said.

• The goals of the HIE, according to officials, are:
• To connect disparate systems and providers of healthcare services across the community, in order to improve care coordination for patients
• To achieve clinical integration across all specialties
• To ensure the secured exchange of patient information
• Create economies of scale and enhanced workflow efficiencies that will reduce costs and improve patient outcomes
• Provide quality and performance reports to strengthen participating practices' position in negotiations with insurance carriers, while helping physicians remain competitive in the healthcare market place.

In the first phase of the exchange, Fairfax Family Practice and Loudoun Medical Group in Leesburg, as well as Sunrise Medical Laboratories, Solstas/Quest Laboratories and Radiology Imaging Associates, will connect. A second phase will connect the local hospital systems, officials said.