Greater Houston Healthconnect (GHH) serves as the regional health information exchange (HIE) in South and East Texas, including Houston, the 3rd largest city in the United States, and home to the largest medical center in the world.
GHH connects the region’s hospitals, health systems, integrated delivery networks, community clinics, physician office practices, and service providers, reaching over 15 million patients, more than 9,800 physicians, and over 325 participant organizations.
In addition to traditional HIE data integration, GHH’s offerings include:
- Diagnostic imaging exchange
- Population health notifications for ‘at-risk’ patients
- Health services research
- Public health including syndromic surveillance & lab reporting
- EMS via the ETHAN Synapse project
J2 Interactive collaborated with GHH to successfully deliver a large-scale migration from a legacy solution to the InterSystems platform. After successfully implementing a solution that features HealthShare and Patient Index (HSPI), the GHH team has taken over HIE management in-house and new participant onboarding, a hand off that J2 encourages for organizations that augment staff on large interoperability projects.
J2 continues to work with GHH on innovative projects such as the Houston Fire Department’s innovative ETHAN (Emergency Telehealth and Navigation) program. This program directs low-acuity EMS patients to the appropriate care facility, reducing unnecessary ED transports. Physicians are able to remotely triage patients using video technology. J2 worked with Houston Fire, GHH and transport services to re-write the application on HealthShare, adding new functions, integrating required resources, and streamline process workflows.
GHH’s comprehensive services have resulted in more informed decisions at the point of care and better population health management. Ongoing research and public health initiatives will continue to improve patient outcomes across the region with the help of Greater Houston Healthconnect.
