NEWS
Southern Tier HealthLink Provides Emergency Healthcare Records at Binghamton Flood Shelters
9/9/2011
With thousands of people displaced to emergency shelters during the Flood of 2011, Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) has been able to help medical providers provide the fastest, most comprehensive care to those with emergency needs.
STHL personnel were at shelters in the Binghamton University Events Center in Vestal and Johnson City High School in Johnson City, NY, working side-by-side with UHS and Lourdes physicians, nurses and pharmacists to give emergency access to patient medical records in the STHL Health Information Exchange (HIE).
STHL records access was most valuable when patients had incomplete medical information. Emergency providers most frequently accessed medication and allergy information to insure diagnoses made and prescriptions written were consistent with patients treatment regimens. In one situation, a diabetic patient could not remember their insulin dosage. In a separate instance, a complete list of records was furnished to a provider when the patient could not recall all medications and dosages. STHL furnished the up-to-date records.
STHL could also instantly print out complete patient medical records for onsite providers. Providers used the records to review existing patient conditions and provide the most comprehensive care possible under the challenging circumstances. Thanks to the STHL HIE, providers were able to view consolidated records from UHS and Our Lady of Lourdes hospitals and providers, as well as those from other participating providers throughout the Southern Tier region.
This is a perfect example of the benefit of electronic healthcare records, said Christina Galanis, STHL Executive Director. Thanks to the great relationships we have built with UHS, Lourdes and independent providers throughout the Southern Tier, we can provide emergency access to healthcare providers in high need, high stress situations like the flood, and make sure our citizens are given the fastest, most comprehensive care possible.
Southern Tier HealthLink (sthlny.com) was established with leadership and support from UHS, Lourdes Hospital and other stakeholders in 2005. STHL is a non-profit organization designed as a partnership which brings together healthcare providers and consumers in Central New York to connect the dots with technology that will improve health care quality, access, and safety while reducing costs. STHL now offers a Patient Portal, allowing healthcare consumers to access, manage, and monitor their health information through the internet. For more information contact Christina Galanis at or .
