Six months since go-live on a patient notification technology platform in the state of Vermont, more than 400 provider sites across New England have been notified that their patients have been seen at Vermont hospitals.
In late April, the State of Vermont partnered with Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL), a nonprofit organization that supports data sharing for healthcare, and health technology company PatientPing to launch an event notification service for Vermont providers with the goal of improving care coordination.
Using an information stream provided by VITL, Boston-based PatientPing has logged more than 62,000 notifications on approximately 12,000 Vermont residents.
Upon joining PatientPing, providers receive “pings,” or real-time notifications, whenever their patients receive care at a wide range of facilities. Nicole Keaty, R.N., telehealth manager at Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, said in a prepared statement, “PatientPing gives us the ability to quickly follow up with a patient when they are readmitted to a hospital. I believe this greatly enhances continuity of care, and patients are really appreciative when we reach out.”
VITL has utilized existing connections to the Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE) to create an aggregated data feed that contains patient encounter (admit, discharge, and transfer) messages from across the state. This aggregated data feed, along with VHIE patient consent status information, enables PatientPing to deliver notification of these events directly to health care providers across the state who share in the care of patients.
The funding for the technical development and installation is being funded by the Vermont Health Care Innovation Project as part of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovations State Innovation Models grant that was awarded to the state in 2013, according to a VITL announcement released in April about the project.
"The rapid adoption of PatientPing's groundbreaking technology in Vermont demonstrates health care providers' commitment to improving collaboration around patient care, with the goal of improving quality and outcomes," John Evans, president and CEO of VITL.
