A regional health information exchange is being created in western Massachusetts.
The exchange, which is expected to become operational this August, will allow participating doctor’s offices and hospitals anywhere in the four western counties to have secure access to a patients electronic medical records. Dr. Richard Shuman, medical director at RiverBend Medical Group said it will lower healthcare costs, and make patients safer.
Baystate Health has put up $3.5 million to get the project started. Officials hope that most of the region’s hospitals, clinics, and medical practices will agree to join the exchange. Massachusetts, last fall, launched a statewide system to allow patient’s medical records to be securely transmitted. Its estimated that more than half the doctor’s offices in the state have converted to electronic records.
