1. What is MHIN?

2. Why was MHIN created?

3. How can MHIN benefit patient care?

4. What software does the MHIN system use?

5. What implementation options are available?

6. What about HIPAA?

7. What type of information can be stored and accessed in MHIN’s system?

8. What about security, confidentiality, and access to the patient records in the MHIN system?

9. What about other legal and regulatory matters?

1.  What is MHIN?

MHIN is a community health information exchange dedicated to providing secure, single source access to patient clinical information. We connect healthcare providers with the clinical data repository, results delivery, clinical messaging, interfaces and a fully integrated electronic health record. Our applications provide an efficient way for clinicians and institutions to appropriately exchange information to ensure high-quality, coordinated care.

2.  Why was MHIN created?

MHIN was created to allow Michiana healthcare providers to reap the benefits of sophisticated clinical information systems and electronic medical records, including:

• Safety:  We help hard-working clinicians provide safer, higher-quality care. Clearer, faster communication among caregivers reduces errors and speeds the decision-making process.
  
  
• Efficiency:  Spend less time and money on filing, faxing, and mailing records. Stop waiting for report deliveries. Reduce duplication of records and tests.
  
  
• Simplicity:  Hospitals, labs, imaging centers and physicians enter data into this secure repository, including test results, reports, and even images. Then, caregivers can instantly access these records in their own offices and hospitals.
  
  
• Security:  The system’s security ensures strict confidentiality and full compliance. Only authorized users with a defined relationship to the patient’s care process can access a record.
  
  
• Flexibility:  Your clinical systems can remain in place. You select the services you want, when you want them – to fit your specific needs.

3.  How can MHIN benefit patient care?

Physicians
We help physicians save time and effort and improve patient care. Physicians need information about their patients from a wide range of healthcare providers, including: hospitals, laboratories, radiology services, ambulatory surgery centers, and other physicians. MHIN's PowerChart Electronic Health Record System (EHR) presents physicians with a unified, historical patient chart from multiple independent sources. MHIN EHR organizes clinical information about patients according to physician-designated criteria and avoids separate sign-ons and technology from disparate vendors. Physicians and their staff save time and frustration because results are available through the MHIN system for the physician or designated staff member as soon as they are generated.

In addition, MHIN's ambulatory EHR provides physician practices and clinics with the ability to enter patient information during exams and whenever needed for follow-up. Clinical information such as allergies, clinical notes, and medications is integrated with the results of services performed outside the practice for a single view, historical record. Notes concerning phone messages, medication refills, and other pertinent information are also stored in the MHIN EHR.

Hospitals and other diagnostic and therapeutic providers
With MHIN EHR, hospitals, radiology service providers, laboratories, and other organizations can provide electronic access to test results, transcribed reports, and other clinical information to physicians who order services or perform procedures in their facilities.  They can also provide an organized, patient-focused view of longitudinal clinical information to physicians and staff members who are caring for these patients. 

In addition, MHIN offers tailored solutions and comprehensive technical support for applications for:

• Master Patient Index
• Enterprise systems such as registration, scheduling, orders and nursing documentation
• Departmental systems such as cardiology, emergency, surgery and ICU
• Ancillary systems such as laboratory systems, radiology systems, and radiology imaging (PACS) systems
• Remote functions
• Personal health records

4.  What software does the MHIN system use?

MHIN has partnered with Cerner, the leading clinical software provider, to provide the PowerChart Electronic Medical Record System and also to give you access to all the options from Cerner's Millennium Health Network Architecture suite.  A complete list of current products can be found on Cerner's web site at www.cerner.com.

MHIN’s newest product, MHIN Messenger has been developed in collaboration with Axolotl. For practices with or without an Electronic Health Record, MHIN Messenger is the community wide, web based messaging and results communication platform for patient clinical information. To learn more about Axolotl visit their website at www.axolotl.com

5.  What implementation options are available?

The selection of applications and the order and speed of implementation are all decided by you. You are not constrained by the implementation plans of other customers.  Further, your implementation plans and contract terms are strictly confidential.
 
One of MHIN’s advantages is its ability to work with the existing (and often expensive) application portfolios that belong to each of its customers.  To meet your objectives and system capability needs, you can use your existing systems, MHIN applications, or a combination of the two.

MHIN is able to leverage its existing technical infrastructure and uses locally-based staff with experience implementing and supporting MHIN EHR and related clinical applications.  This saves you time, effort and money during implementation.

6.  What about HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is having a tremendous impact on the way healthcare providers do business. As a patient, you've probably received many copies of the 'Notice of Privacy Practices' from your physicians, insurers, and others.  This notification is a requirement of HIPAA's privacy regulations, which became effective on April 15, 2003.

MHIN has been concerned with issues related to security and privacy since long before the advent of HIPAA.  Our guiding principles are consistent with (and sometimes exceed) HIPAA regulations. In addition, as a HIPAA Business Associate MHIN has signed agreements with providers who care for patients and store data on the MHIN system.  Through these agreements, MHIN commits to supporting the HIPAA requirements in place for physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations. 

To learn more about HIPAA, visit their web site at www.hipaa.org

7.  What type of information can be stored and accessed in MHIN’s system?

MHIN EHR is capable of storing discrete data, text, images, and voice from many provider sources -- including inpatient and outpatient laboratory results and radiology reports; reports from hospital service departments such as surgery, cardiac cath, and emergency services; medical records reports such as h&ps and discharge summaries.  This information is available in the MHIN system as soon as it is resulted or transcribed in the source system at the hospital, lab, or imaging center.

In addition, MHIN's ambulatory EHR provides physician practices and clinics with the ability to enter patient information during exams and whenever needed for follow-up.   Clinical information such as allergies, clinical notes, and medications is integrated with the results of services performed outside the practice for a single view, historical record.   Notes concerning phone messages, medication refills, and other pertinent information are also stored in MHIN EHR.

8.  What about security, confidentiality, and access to the patient records in the MHIN system?

Since its inception, MHIN has worked with physicians and other Michiana providers, legal advisors, members of the community, and software vendors to ensure that software capabilities, policies and procedures, and network services safeguard client data and patient records.  

MHIN’s user authentication, access control strategies and policies and procedures help ensure database, application and network security.  MHIN’s security model restricts users from accessing information about a patient unless they have a specific care-giving relationship with the patient and are associated with the healthcare organization providing services.  System functionality, user training, and security monitoring are all predicated on this basic premise, which also prohibits access between healthcare organizations.

There is no sharing of data between organizations in the MHIN system.  Data from each provider exists solely within that organization's component of the database and is not accessible to other healthcare providers or to users who are not associated with that organization.  Further, each provider organization determines who has access to its data and sets access guidelines for users and data based on internal policies and practice.  MHIN staff works closely with all clients to ensure that their confidentiality and security expectations are consistent with MHIN's policies, and that they are incorporated into the MHIN system. 

To learn more about security, confidentiality and privacy, click here.

9.  What about other legal and regulatory matters?

MHIN’s business structure, contracts, and pricing and billing policies have all been carefully developed, based on the advice of legal experts, to ensure compliance with  private benefit and inurement restrictions, Medicare fraud and abuse regulations, and other related issues.