OCHIN Partnership to Improve EHR Use for Epic, NextGen Users

New tools will streamline EHR use and reduce the administrative burden for providers using Epic and NextGen EHR systems.


Oregon Community Health Information Network (OCHIN) will integrate electronic consultation services (eConsult) into its Epic and NextGen EHR systems in an effort to streamline EHR use for providers and enable single sign-on capabilities.

OCHIN will partner with eConsult platform providers RubiconMD and Safety Net Connect (SNC) to cut administrative burden by reducing the number of clicks per day for providers and cutting down on EHR use.

The eConsult platforms will also allow OCHIN users to have access to web-based care coordination solutions designed to improve health data exchange among clinicians. Primary care physicians can use the technology to send a secure message and asynchronously consult a clinical specialist about a patient’s condition.

Specialist responses generated through eConsult are generally returned within 48 hours. By enabling more efficient communication between primary care physicians and specialists, OCHIN providers can reduce patient wait times for referrals.

"The integration of these eConsult platforms is a natural addition to our technology portfolio,” said OCHIN CEO Abby Sears. "We're dedicated to finding innovative technologies that make a meaningful difference for patients and the providers who care for them.”

The Oregon-based nonprofit health information and innovation network includes more than 10,000 clinicians across the country. OCHIN is a learning organization that leverages innovation and collaboration to improve patient health outcomes and reduce healthcare organization costs.

"This partnership is something our respective clients have been asking for and we are all too happy to work with OCHIN to bring to life their vision for improved workflow," said RubiconMD CEO and co-founder Gil Addo.

"We have long believed that transforming health care delivery will require collaboration between best of breed services, and this partnership represents a commitment to that ethos,” he continued. “Safety net providers will now have the ability to seamlessly access a top network of specialists within minutes, improving care for their patients while reducing costs."

OCHIN has steadily been working to integrate new types of health data and health IT into its network in recent years. In 2017, the non-profit integrated standardized social determinants of health (SDH) data collection and presentation into its Epic EHR to improve patient and population health outcomes in community health centers.

Researchers worked with 27 different community health center stakeholders to develop ways to optimize SDH data collection, present the data in the Epic EHR, and integrate the information into physician workflows.

Additionally, researchers developed EHR-based tools designed to help community health centers identify and address SDH-related health concerns. The ultimate goal of the project was to create SDH-related physician workflows aligned with clinical referral processes.

Participants in the study also developed EHR tools for reviewing SDH needs, identifying referral options, ordering referrals, and tracking past referrals.

There is growing recognition that social determinants of health data are a central piece of the health and wellness puzzle for the U.S. healthcare system. But while many healthcare industry executives are aware of the impact of social determinants of health on populations, there is no clear direction about how to operationalize its use. Because of this, the eHealth Initiative Foundation and the LexisNexis® Risk Solutions healthcare business hosted the second in a series of roundtable meetings on data governance in healthcare. The roundtable focused on data governance from the perspective of Social Determinants of Health, convening senior executives from across the healthcare spectrum. The goal of the meeting was to gather expert opinions on the use of social determinants of health data to benefit patients and providers.

This discussion produced examples across a variety of health plans of how social determinants of health data were being used to improve health outcomes. The examples articulated by healthcare executives illustrated how social determinants of health data is used to identify the most vulnerable populations and give providers and health plans meaningful insights into the health of their patients. Some of these use cases include using social determinants of health data to provide fresh food “Farmacy”, launch a togetherness program that improves outcomes for seniors and personalized behavioral interventions to improve medication adherence.

Author:  Gary M. Levin M.D.

OCHIN Partnership to Improve EHR Use for Epic, NextGen Users: OCHIN will leverage new EHR-integrated tools to improve EHR use and care coordination for Epic and NextGen users part of its network.