The U.S. Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology released a report this week on The Search, Alert, File, Reconcile (SAFR) Model for Health Information Exchange. The report is titled Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Data Integration to Optimize Patient Care. This report is worth the read as it provides a high-level perspective on how Health Information Organizations (HIE) can work together with first responders to improve the data shared during day-to-day patient care, emergencies, and disaster.
The report states that EMS should utilize HIE because “As first responders, EMS providers often have to make quick, life-saving decisions without any patient health information during emergencies. HIE allows emergency medical technicians and paramedics to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s vital medical information electronically.” The sharing of information can improve patient satisfaction on scene and in route to hospitals.
We know for instance that the electronic sharing of information can impact patient care decisions and affect outcome measures and quality of care.
For more information on Integration to Optimize Patient Care, Please click here for Full Report.
