KeyHIE Deploys SMART on FHIR Tool to Share Imaging Content

The Keystone Health Information Exchange (KeyHIE), a network of more than 350 healthcare facilities founded by Geisinger Health System in 2005, is taking advantage of a SMART on FHIR tool that the HIE says allows physicians to share medical images and associated reports to enable better care coordination, provide clinical context for diagnostic interpretations, and improve outcomes.

KeyHIE connects 18 hospitals, 251 physician practices, 95 long-term care facilities, 30 home health agencies and other healthcare organizations. It serves more than 4 million patients over 53 counties in Pennsylvania.

The tool was developed by KeyHIE vendor partner Life Image. The company says the power of FHIR is its ability to integrate into web browsers and its simplicity in searching for specific data, which eliminates the need for cumbersome searches and numerous manual steps inside of an EHR. The Life Image Instant Access apps contain a suite of functions. With the Viewer app functionality, clinicians can now instantaneously view diagnostic content in the KeyHIE web-based portal. From the KeyHIE provider portal, powered by Orion Health, doctors can call up a patient’s medical imaging directly through the Life Image Viewer app and examine it while reading the diagnostic report within their portal. There is no separate login or application to obtain in order to use this functionality. It is seamless within the physician workflow and interface.

“Current medical data is critical in delivering care. However, data access and exchange are extremely challenging given the data silos that prevent the frictionless flow of necessary information,” said Joe Fisne, associate CIO of Geisinger, in a prepared statement. “This tool allows the integration of actionable data and clinically important information for diagnosis or treatment at the point of care.”