New York, Florida Providers to Link up Medical Records for Patients who Flock South for Winter

The Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health and Fla.-based Boca Raton Regional Hospital (BRRH) are encouraging thousands of New Yorkers with ties to Boca Raton to enroll in Boca HealthLink Exchange, a program that enables healthcare providers to share medical records of the organizations’ patients.

The patient care organizations are specifically targeting those New York area residents with second homes in or near Boca Raton. The service aims to ensure that patients and their families who travel south during the winter months will experience the same level of patient care and customer service in south Florida as they are accustomed to in the New York area. The HealthLink initiative is an outgrowth of the affiliation between Northwell and BRRH that began in 2014.

Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System) is New York State's largest healthcare provider and private employer, while Boca Raton Regional Hospital is a tertiary medical center with 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff.

Patients who enroll in Boca HealthLink Exchange and pre-authorize the sharing of records can receive the following services from both organizations:

• A Boca Raton Regional Hospital care navigator onsite to help ensure patients' needs are met in Florida
• Physician referrals and concierge appointment scheduling in Boca Raton
• Availability of Northwell medical records in Florida, and enhanced communication between providers at Northwell and BRRH
• New York Call Center assistance available 24/7

"Our patients want to experience the highest quality of life, whether they're enjoying New York during the summer or taking pleasure in the warmth of Florida during the winter months," Michael J. Dowling, Northwell Health's president and CEO, said in a statement. "Northwell Health's relationship with Boca Raton Regional Hospital provides better continuity of care for the thousands of patients who split time between New York and Florida. Patients enrolled in Boca HealthLink know that their health records are readily available at both health systems."

Also on the technology front, Northwell recently announced that it has teamed up with New York City-based Newport Health Solutions, LLC to jointly form a new company, Health Connect Technologies, LLC (HCT) to further develop and commercialize its suite of population health and network management products. Health Connect is a management solution technological platform that allows for connectivity among physicians, hospitals and other service providers. "Given the focus on accountable and value-based care in today's rapidly changing health care environment, we are continually evaluating our strategy and improving our processes to better collaborate with our community-based providers and enhance the quality of care to our patients," said Mark Solazzo, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Northwell Health.