Kinney Drugs Partners with HealtheConnections

Kinney Drugs and HealtheConnections Partner to Provide Physicians with Access to Critical Prescription Information

Kinney Drugs, a leading healthcare organization in New York and Vermont, announced a collaborative healthcare partnership with HealtheConnections, a Syracuse-based regional health information organization (RHIO) supporting eleven counties of central and northern New York, to allow physicians and other healthcare providers to securely access and share patient prescription information.  This partnership will link medication prescribed with medications picked up at over 70 New York Kinney Drugs stores.

For patients, particularly those with multiple and chronic illnesses, sharing their medical information through HealtheConnections’ health information exchange (HIE) can help reduce the time spent filling out paperwork, briefing providers on their medical history and tracking prescriptions across patient caregivers.  This partnership provides physicians with access to critical prescription and medical information that may not otherwise be available, which is especially important for urgent care or emergency room visits occurring late at night or on weekends.

“Pharmacists and pharmacy services are vital to patient care. Having access to medications that are picked up, not just prescribed or filled, brings us much closer to knowing what medications a patient is using for their care and health,” says Rob Hack, president and CEO of HealtheConnections. “This valued partnership with Kinney Drugs will provide an important flow of information that will greatly enhance the patient, provider and pharmacist interaction and communication for improved patient care.”

Patients will provide their consent for records to be shared with HealtheConnections’ HIE. Patient benefits include:

• Improved emergency and overall care. Vital medical information for diagnosis and treatment will be available even when patients might not be able to explain their medical situation or prescription history.
• Fewer repeat medical tests and procedures. Visibility of previously picked up prescriptions, tests results and services will eliminate the expense and inconvenience of duplicate testing as well as the dangers of prescribing duplicate medication therapies.
• Reduced risk of errors. Electronic health records lessen the chance of errors caused by difficulties in reading hand-written or faxed reports, prescriptions and orders.
• Less time, greater convenience. – Patients no longer have to hand-carry prescription records, lab reports, radiology test results and images, and other medical information from provider to provider.
• Better communication. Healthcare providers and pharmacists can correspond about patient clinical information using Direct Mail, a secure email system.

Patients must provide consent for their care providers to view their electronic medical information available with HealtheConnections.  Over one million of HealtheConnections’ regional population has provided consent to their care providers.  Over 170 regional healthcare organizations are sharing electronic health records for the use of nearly 600 participating organizations, representing seventy percent of the region’s 3,000 providers.

“Pharmacists play an essential role in the treatment and prevention of chronic and acute illnesses. By partnering with HealtheConnections, our pharmacists will be more integrated within the health care system which will allow them to better collaborate with other providers to help improve patient health outcomes,” says Jim Spencer, president of Kinney Drug stores. “Over $290 billion is wasted annually due to the medical costs associated with poor medication adherence and our pharmacists are best positioned to help address this issue.  Kinney Drugs is excited to offer this service to our patients as a meaningful way to more effectively communicate prescription information to their providers, as we strive to deliver the highest level of care and make it easier for our patients to lead healthier lives.”

HealtheConnections uses sophisticated security technology to provide privacy protection of the medical information exchanged.  Information can only be accessed by and exchanged between patient-authorized and HealtheConnections-governed health care providers. HealtheConnections is a NYS Department of Health accredited entity of the State Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY).

 

About Kinney Drugs

Kinney Drugs is the drug store division of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., a leading pharmacy health care company that strives to provide the highest-quality pharmacy, health and retail services in the communities served.  Founded in 1903 by Burt Orrin Kinney, Kinney Drugs now operates 100 drug stores in Central and Northern New York and Vermont, as well as a distribution center. Kinney Drugs is an employee-owned company headquartered in upstate New York. For more information, visit www.kinneydrugs.com.