Greater Houston Healthconnect Delivers Vital Integration For St. Luke's Health Clinically Integrated Network

Major hospital system sees health information and image exchange as essential component of strategy to serve geographically dispersed populations

Houston, TX (June 29, 2016)–CHI St. Luke's Health (St. Luke's) is now live in the Greater Houston Healthconnect community-based health information exchange (HIE). This connection gives St. Luke's and its regional affiliates the ability to access real-time historical patient information and diagnostic images across the Baylor St. Luke's Health Network – its clinically integrated network which includes eight hospitals, 16 hospital-based and freestanding emergency centers, and over 1,100 physicians.

As St. Luke's continues to expand its geographic footprint in Southeast Texas, Healthconnect provides an efficient way to integrate the electronic health record (EHR) systems of new hospitals and practices. That kind of interoperability enables clinicians across the continuum to work together as a unified care team irrespective of location or disparate EHR and imaging technologies.

Michael Covert, St. Luke's CEO explains, “Our partnership with Greater Houston Healthconnect is an essential component in CHI's strategy for growth. As we expand, the HIE enables us to integrate acquired and affiliated facilities internally within our own system, while also accessing care records and images from other providers in the community. We believe that seamless approach is ultimately more satisfying to the patient, more cost effective, and will result in better overall outcomes for each patient we are privileged to serve.”

That level of interconnectivity is central to St. Luke's position as an anchor in a national network of hospitals guided by a clinically integrated and health-oriented model. The initial St. Luke's connection to the HIE includes five area hospitals: Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, St. Luke's Health–Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Lakeside and The Vintage Hospitals. Other system facilities, namely, St. Luke's Memorial in Livingston, St. Luke's Memorial in Lufkin, St. Luke's Health–Patients Medical Center in Pasadena, St. Joseph Health in Bryan, and St. Luke's Health–Brazosport in Lake Jackson will be live shortly. Numerous physician practices and freestanding emergency centers are also implementing and will go live this year.

With just one connection to the HIE, St. Luke&'s clinicians can now view information about their patients&' care from a variety of other institutions and practices throughout Southeast Texas.

Stephen Moore, Senior Vice President, CMO for St. Luke's Health, hailed system interoperability as an important move forward in the practice of 21st century medicine, “At St. Luke's Health we&'re focused on healing communities and treating the whole person. That means looking at the range of healthcare encounters and considering a person&'s medical history with a broad perspective.”

Nationally the momentum for HIE is building as health systems come to rely on access to a patient's complete community health record for value-based care models. Especially in Houston, with so many of the major healthcare organizations now participating, an increasing number of independent physician practices are proactively contacting the HIE to request access.

Nick Bonvino underscored St. Luke's strategic relationship with GHH, “We are delighted to support St. Luke's by integrating their acquired and affiliated entities. By connecting hospitals, clinics, physician practices, and freestanding ERs to their existing portfolio, as well as to all our participants across the region, care coordination is driving improvements in quality, safety, and efficiency.”

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About Greater Houston Healthconnect

Greater Houston Healthconnect is an independent, community-based organization enabling interoperability among healthcare providers in Southeast Texas. Its mission is to exchange health records and diagnostic images electronically across organizations to enhance the quality, safety, and efficiency of care for all patients throughout the region. Key stakeholders include healthcare providers, payers, employers and the community as a whole. For more information, visit https://www.ghhconnect.org/.

About St. Luke's Health

St. Luke's Health, a member of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), is comprised of three markets, St. Luke's Health is home of the Texas Heart Institute (THI),  eight hospitals, eight emergency centers, Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Radiation & CyberKnife® Center, and several St. Luke's Medical Group locations throughout Greater Houston; St. Luke`s Health Memorial (three hospitals and a long-term acute care facility in East Texas); and St. Joseph Health (five hospitals and several St. Joseph Medical Group locations across Brazos Valley). In addition, St. Luke's is a part of a joint venture agreement with Baylor College of Medicine®, which encompasses Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center.  Together, St. Luke's Health, THI, and Baylor College of Medicine® are transforming healthcare delivery with a mission to usher in a new era of healthcare to create healthier communities. For more information, visit CHIStLukesHealth.org.

St. Luke's Health is a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), one of the nation's largest health systems. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, CHI operates in 19 states and comprises 105 hospitals, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals; 30 critical-access facilities; community health services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home health agencies; and other services that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. Learn more at catholichealthinitiatives.com.

For further information please contact:

Robin Mansur Chief Marketing Officer
Greater Houston Healthconnect
[email protected]
832 564 2599

Ty Morrison Media Relations Specialist
St. Luke's Health
[email protected]
832-355-3791