Rochester RHIO & New York State Partner to Increase Use of Ambulance Data

Did you know that many 911 emergency medical services (EMS) calls do not result in transportation to the hospital? As a result, clinical treatment data, as well as data related to the social determinants of health from ambulance encounters are often not shared with care providers.  

Now, two area EMS providers are contributing patient data to the Rochester RHIO and the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), which will enhance individualized care and has the potential to improve social services support. 
Monroe Ambulance and Finger Lakes Ambulance participate in a new grant program with the Rochester RHIO, which serves as the on-ramp for the SHIN-NY across the 14-county Greater Finger Lakes Region. Through the SHIN-NY, records can be shared with authorized practices and institutions statewide.

“EMS is regularly requested for anxiety, falls, first aid, domestic disputes, and other conditions that don’t require transportation to the emergency department. This information has historically been invisible physicians, social services organizations and other organizations who could use it to spot patterns and make better decisions,” said Jill Eisenstein, president and CEO of the Rochester RHIO.  “Our collaboration with regional EMS agencies helps to make sure that front line emergency crews can both see patient data and contribute encounter data to the patient record. That can make a huge difference in people’s lives,” said Eisenstein. 

Both ambulance services benefitted from the Data Exchange Incentive Program (DEIP), an initiative of the New York State Department of Health with support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

“We’re proud and excited to see these grants come to the Greater Finger Lakes Region, which continues to be at the forefront of health information exchange and community collaboration to support the well-being of residents, said Eisenstein.