Maine HIE offers real-time predictive analytics

Maine’s health information exchange (HIE), HealthInfoNet, is now offering providers analytic and predictive tools to study market share, clinical performance, population health and patient risk in real-time. 

The HIE’s clinical data repository contains records for nearly 1.3 million state residents, which derive from 32 of Maine’s 36 acute care hospitals and 326 ambulatory locations--including primary and specialty care practices and long-term care facilities. “This rich dataset allows for much more timely assessment of patient risk that can be leveraged for clinical treatment and care coordination before high-cost events occur,” according to a press release.

So far, five state organizations have entered contracts with HealthInfoNet to utilize this service—including two large hospitals and Maine’s Pioneer ACO. St. Joseph Healthcare in Bangor was the first organization to use the new tools and is currently studying whether their use has resulted in a reduction in hospital readmissions, according to HealthInfoNet CEO Devore Culver.

“They dove right into the tools and have been a great partner to help us expand and improve our service. They took a team approach to testing the new tool, setting up super users in the hospital and the outpatient setting. And they are seeing results,” Culver said in a statement.

In addition, HealthInfoNet is partnering with vendor HBI Solutions to help HIEs outside of Maine utilize these tools. “HealthInfoNet has been a leader in the HIE space for sometime and feel we have a lot to offer other HIE organizations as they set up similar services,” said Culver.