Enabling health information exchange at a US Poison Control Center.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Public Health
• Clinical Informatics

Background:

• Poison control centers (PCCs) were previously unable to participate in standards-based health information exchange (HIE).
• Barriers included noncompliant software, lack of informatics infrastructure, and workflow integration challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enable PCCs to participate in standards-based HIE.
• To overcome existing technological and workflow barriers for PCCs.

Main Methods:

• Adapted Health Level Seven Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture (C-CDA) consultation note for PCC use.
• Developed SNOWHITE software for PCC HIE integration.
• Utilized rapid prototyping to define HIE dashboard requirements.

Main Results:

• Successfully implemented HIE process and SNOWHITE software at the Utah PCC.
• Initiated outbound C-CDA transmissions in February 2017.
• Began receiving inbound C-CDAs in October 2018.

Conclusions:

• Achieved the first participation of PCCs in standards-based HIE in the US.
• Developed a viable process and informatics tools for PCC HIE.
• Identified challenges in patient identification, workflow integration, and software development for future improvements.