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Elderwood joins HEALTHeLINK

by jmaloni

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Wed, Sep 2nd 2015 03:10 pm

HEALTHeLINK today announced Elderwood is the latest long-term care facility to participate in Western New York's clinical information exchange. This includes Elderwood's 12 local assisted living and skilled nursing facilities located in Amherst, Cheektowaga, Grand Island, Hamburg, Lancaster, West Seneca, Wheatfield and Williamsville.

"Having access to one's latest test results, medication history and other current clinical information provide treating physicians with a more complete medical picture on the patient they are treating. This is especially important when a patient transitions from one health care setting to another," said Dan Porreca, executive director of HEALTHeLINK. "With this information readily and securely available, physicians can provide more timely and effective treatment at the point of care."

Elderwood joins the more than 3,400 physicians, all of the area hospitals, and many other long-term care and health care organizations utilizing HEALTHeLINK to improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety and reduce health care costs.

"Elderwood is committed to leveraging technology in ways that can help our residents and patients," said Anna Bojarczuk-Foy, director of business development. "Our doctors and nurses already use an integrated medical records system. HEALTHeLINK adds an additional format to help physicians and patients access medical information."

Elderwood has grown to become the largest network of rehabilitation, skilled nursing, assisted living and independent living communities in Western New York, with 17 facilities, 2,800 beds and 4,000 employees. Elderwood's continuum of care also includes advanced specialized services in oncology, cardiac rehabilitation, ventilator care, IV therapy and wound care. For more information, visit elderwood.com.

HEALTHeLINK is a collaboration among the region's hospitals, physicians, health plans and other health care providers to serve the eight counties of Western New York. It was created to enable the exchange of clinical information in secure and meaningful ways to improve both efficiency and quality, while also helping to control health care costs. Patients who provide consent allow physicians and providers directly involved in their treatment to securely access relevant medical information via HEALTHeLINK, resulting in more timely and effective treatment at the point of care.

HEALTHeLINK is part of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY), a technology framework spanning the entire state that allows health care providers efficient access to their patients' data. HEALTHeLINK has been recognized for its work in building a regional health information technology infrastructure and for testing innovative approaches by both state and federal agencies, including being named a Beacon Community, an effort funded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

For more information about HEALTHeLINK, visit wnyhealthelink.com.

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