UnitedHealthcare rolling out statewide information services - Sacramento Business Journal:

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As part of the initiative, the exchange will deliver secure patientinformation — including medication histories, laboratorty results and clinical data from claims to hospital emergency departments for UnitedHealthcare and of California private-sectofr HMO members. The health information exchange will roll out in Orange Countuy emergency departmentsthis summer. Roll out in Sacramento is expectecdby mid-2011, but could be acceleratede if federal stimulus funds are available, UnitedHealthcare spokeswomaj Cheryl Randolph said in an e-mail.
A healthg information exchange is central toPresidentg Obama’s health care reform Use of the information will be restricte to patient care and protected undert strict medical privacy and confidentiality regulations. “Immediatr access to critical medical informatiobn when and where physicians need it will betterr enable them to make the righty health care decisions at the point of UnitedHealthcare chief medical director Sam Ho said in apress “We believe CalRHIO has the rightt technology and business model to be successfulk in the long term.
” Financialk details about the amount of money invested by UnitedHealthcare are not currently available, but Randolph describe the company’s investment in the multi-year agreemenrt as “significant.” Federal stimulus state budget support and money from privater foundations will not be enough to sustainm the information exchange indefinitely, according to CalRHIO boarrd chair Molly Coye. “UnitedHealthcare’s leadership in supporting CalRHIO’s business modelp is a major step toward ensuringh that we can finance and sustaih health information exchange for communities across Coye said in apress release.
CalRHIiO is borrowing the capital to build the early stages of the Like a toll those benefiting from the service will contribute only when the highway is open and Revenue from payments health plans make for serviceas will enable CalRHIO to repay the loansx and financethe project.