How the SVMS HIE helps you.
Most healthcare organizations are closed evenings, weekends and holidays. At those times, SacValley MedShare allows doctors to access information 24 hours a day. Many northern Californians travel for personal and professional reasons. Emergencies can happen far away from your primary care and medical records. Patient care is improved when specialists and primary care physicians communicate. Sharing test results, coordinating care, and providing timely feedback improves the quality of care.
What is SVMS?
SVMS is a Northern California, internet-based, health information exchange (HIE). SVMS is sponsored by Northern California health care providers and health insurers who share and use your information for treatment and payment purposes. They can see certain health, demographic and payment information (your health information) in each other’s records. They can use this information for treatment and payment purposes. For example:
Your participating doctors can quickly find certain health information about you, such as your lab and x-ray results, from other participating providers who have treated you in the past.
- Your participating doctors, hospital or pharmacy can quickly verify your insurance coverage by checking your enrollment status with participating health insurers.
- Your participating providers can make required reports to public health agencies regarding immunizations, communicable diseases, etc.
- Your participating health insurer can electronically obtain health information needed to process your claim from the records of participating providers.
- Emergency room doctors and care teams can quickly access necessary information about your health in order to maximize your care.
The information is safe, the system is HIPAA compliant, and only those providers who need access to the information, can access it.
Who will have access to my health information?
Many California providers and health insurers participate in SVMS. You can obtain a current list at http://sacvalleyms.org . Participating providers (such as doctors, hospitals and pharmacies) and health insurers (for their own insureds or for insureds in group health plans they administer), public health agencies, and their staff and contractors will have access for treatment, payment and public health purposes.
SVMS staff and contractors will have access to provide technical and administrative support. All access will be on a need-to-know basis for treatment, payment and public health purposes. Medical researchers may have access to certain de-identified health information and/or limited data sets.
How does sharing health information improve patient care?
Health care providers need your complete health information to accurately diagnose and treat you. Each of your providers may have different portions of your medical record. If they can access each other’s records and see more complete health information, they can provide you with better care. Sharing your health information can help reduce medical care costs by eliminating unnecessary duplication of tests and procedures.
What health information will be shared?
- Lab and X-ray results
- Medication and immunization history
- Transcribed diagnostic and treatment records
- Records of allergies and drug reactions
- Other transcribed clinical reports
Information created after the start date of SVMS in 2015 will be available through SVMS, but only if the provider who has the information is a participating provider and makes the information available. Older health records will not be available through SVMS.
Participating providers will not share records related to: (a) alcohol or substance abuse treatment programs (or information likely to be used by such programs), (b) emergency protective custody proceedings, (c) predictive genetic testing performed for genetic counseling purposes, (d) HIV testing, (e) STD testing or treatment of minors consented to by the minor, and (f) mental health treatment. However, information about test results may be available or referred to elsewhere in the record.
