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Truven Health Launches West Virginia Health Information Network

ANN ARBOR -- West Virginia Health Information Network and Ann Arbor-based Truven Health Analytics, formerly the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters, announced the launch of a statewide health information exchange system.

WVHIN is a public-private partnership charged with building a secure electronic health information system for the exchange of patient data among physicians, hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, other care providers, and stakeholders.

Working with early adopters across Medicaid, public health and provider networks, Wheeling Hospitals and West Virginia University Healthcare were selected to be the pilot sites. The WVHIN launches with the ability to access clinical information on more than 2.1 million patients including lab results (37 million distinct results), diagnosis history (96 million diagnoses), allergies (2.4 million), and patient visit history (88 million distinct patient visits over last 6 years).

The WVHIN exchange uses Truven Health HIE Advantage to provide clinicians with a longitudinal patient history at the point of care by capturing real-time clinical and administrative data from electronic medical records, healthcare claims, West Virginia Medicaid Services, and the WV State Immunization Registry. The exchange also links to the West Virginia e-Directive Registry, making it the first HIE to integrate end of life care choices made by patients, giving providers access to living wills, durable medical power of attorney, and other end of life care-related documents.

"Implementing our HIE at Wheeling Hospitals and WVU Healthcare allows us to quickly achieve unparalleled interoperability throughout our state's facilities," said Phil Weikle, COO at WVHIN. "This brings us closer to care coordination, improved care, reduced cost, and improved communication across the care continuum."

By implementing the HIE, WVHIN meets a significant milestone in its strategic and operational plan. Through the use of NwHIN DIRECT secure messaging, the HIE allows providers and other healthcare stakeholders in the state to share timely information for treatment purposes. Capitalizing on this strong launch with valuable data and connectivity, WVHIN is now focused on expanding to additional providers, and expects to greatly improve the overall health and cost of healthcare for West Virginians over time.

Said C. Douglas Shaw, executive vice president and general manager for Truven Health Analytics' hospital business. "The promise of affordable, less fragmented, and improved care is becoming a reality in West Virginia."

For more information about the WVHIN, visit www.wvhin.org. For more information about Truven Health HIE Advantage, visit www.truvenhealth.com.

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