Connxus Joins the Nationwide Network of Health Information Exchanges Delivering Secure Patient Data Across State Lines to Improve Care 

When Central Texans Travel or Move to a Different State, Their Health Information Follows Them to Access Better Treatment

Connxus, the community-governed nonprofit Health Information Exchange (HIE) in Central Texas, joins a growing one-of-a-kind collaborative of HIEs connecting nationwide to seamlessly deliver patient health information across state lines and health systems. By becoming part of the Patient Centered Data Home® (PCDH), Connxus continues improving the patient experience for the 2 million people in its database if they visit a hospital or other medical provider outside of Texas. 

“When health data is spread across different electronic systems and healthcare organizations, providers don’t have a full picture of the patient’s information and needs,” said Eliel Oliveira, Chief Executive Officer of Connxus. “PCDH addresses this data fragmentation, connecting the critical health information for providers across the care continuum that can lead to life-saving outcomes.” 

Launched in 2015, PCDH is an initiative of the HIE members of the  Civitas Networks for Health and is governed by the Patient Centered Data Home Governance Council, with the vision that clinical data should be available when and where it is needed for patients to receive timely, high-quality care. PCDH is the only national healthcare data network that facilitates the geographic-based exchange of ADTs (admission, discharge, and transfer) messages in near real-time between trusted networks, and has never charged any fee for clinical data exchange. There are approximately 50 HIEs across the country participating in PCDH, and adding the Connxus HIE to the network moves it another step closer to achieving national interoperability.

“The Patient Centered Data Home initiative is one of the most powerful examples of how local infrastructure can support national interoperability,” said Jessica Little, Vice President of Programs and Operations at Civitas Networks for Health. “By enabling timely, secure data sharing between HIEs, PCDH reduces care fragmentation, empowers clinicians with more timely information, and ultimately improves the patient experience—no matter where care is delivered. Civitas and its members are proud to support this initiative, and are glad to see more organizations like Connxus join the PCDH movement.”

How Patient Centered Data Home® Health Information is Securely Exchanged 

In this model, local hospitals and clinics connect to their local health information exchange (HIE) network, and these networks connect to one another to form the PCDH network. While most health care is received locally, occasionally patients travel to receive specialty care or find themselves needing care when not at home. When this occurs, health records may not be available to provide comprehensive, timely, high-quality care. The PCDH network addresses this problem by informing patients’ primary care providers in near real-time about their clinical events outside of their home region and connecting the patients’ home care team to collaborate with the remote care team.

When a Central Texan sees a health provider outside of the Connxus “home” HIE area, including an emergency department, the electronic health record system of the care team treating the patient seamlessly “pushes” an alert (ADT) through the PCDH network, which then alerts Connxus, who then notifies the patient’s local care team in Central Texas. This takes the burden off the patients to coordinate their own care. From there, both HIEs can exchange secure clinical data within minutes to improve short and long-term care and coordinate with Central Texas providers to ensure patients receive the necessary follow-up care.

“The average primary care provider must coordinate care with 225 other providers in 117 other organizations,” said Dr. David Kendrick, Civitas Networks for Health Board Vice Chair. “PCDH enables patients to get timely, comprehensive, high-quality care wherever they happen to be. With Connxus joining the PCDH network, Central Texans may receive more complete care wherever they are in the United States, and know their home providers are better informed about their health needs when they return.” 

About Connxus

Connxus is the Central Texas nonprofit health information exchange, creating the secure data infrastructure, tools, and platforms that improve community health. Originally formed by an alliance of local safety net providers in 1997 as the Integrated Care Collaboration, Connxus now has partners across eight Central Texas counties and continues to add and enhance medical and social data to streamline provider care and identify innovative solutions to population health challenges. Connxus holds itself to the highest security standards in the healthcare industry, using technology and data infrastructure with HITRUST and TX-RAMP security certifications. Learn more at connxus.org.

About Civitas Networks for Health 

Civitas Networks for Health is a national nonprofit collaborative of over 170 member organizations dedicated to improving health through health information exchange, data use, and cross-sector collaboration. Civitas educates the private sector and policymakers on interoperability, quality, care coordination, health equity, and cost-effectiveness. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Civitas also leads multi-site grant-funded initiatives and amplifies the voices of local health innovators on the national stage. To learn more, visit  civitasforhealth.org.