Rhode Island Quality Institute - Sharing Health Information for Transitions (SHIFT) of Care

The primary objectives for the project are: 1) increase the number of health IT services adopted and used by providers and individuals, 2) increase the electronic exchange of information by assisting care providers and individuals with sharing health records through CurrentCare, 3) address the ability of disparate systems to securely exchange information, and 4) promote better access to their health information for individuals. The outcomes associated with these objectives will help Rhode Island achieve the Triple Aim of better health, better healthcare and lower per capita costs by engaging patients and their families; offering real-time, relevant information; increasing efficiency; and reducing errors, duplication and avoidable admissions.
For the individuals and their proxies, the SHIFT project will promote the use of CurrentCare4Me to access health information. In the near future, mobile alerts will be available to inform the proxy when their loved one has been transferred between facilities.
For the LTPAC, hospital and primary care physician or specialist, the adoption and use of CurrentCare will be promoted.  The grant supports the integration of electronic health records (EHRs) from long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) facilities, leading to the ability to alert primary care and other providers in the community when patients are admitted to or discharged from long-term care facilities in the state.
Our Workflow Redesign Specialist is performing workflow analyses and identifying gaps at LTPACs and practices. This workflow analysis identifies opportunities to use the HIE and gain access to missing or hard to find clinical data for best patient care. We are rolling out CurrentCare4Me, the personal health record for individuals enrolled in CurrentCare and their healthcare proxy, to access and view information. As stated in the proposal, we are experiencing challenges working with LTPACs due to lack of current technology and technical expertise.