eConsult CCD Workaround - MU Objective 5

There are specific challenges with the electronic exchange of health information in Los Angeles County. Notably, there remains a lack of interoperability in health information technology to exchange health information between clinical organizations and providers. This lack of interoperability makes it very challenging for our health centers to meet the Meaningful Use (MU) Health Information Exchange (HIE) Objective 5, in which providers with 100 or more referrals during the MU yearly reporting period must send a Continuity of Care Document (CCD) for 10% of their patients. Most participating health centers have an ONC Certified EHR (CEHRT) that can generate a CCD, but they have no secure means to send it since Los Angeles County lacks a HIE.

In response to this challenge, the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) developed a workaround using eConsult, a HISP enabled, secure, web-based, countywide specialty care referral system that allows primary care physicians and specialists to share health information and discuss patient care. The workaround uses the existing health center’s workflow to obtain and share patient data but meets the MU Objective 5 requirement by uploading the CCD in XML format to the eConsult system which in turn transforms the CCD into a readable format for the specialist to view.