Find out more information about electronic health records and how doctors who use this technology can help provide you and your family with better health care. Click on the questions below to get more information.
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Sometimes we forget how much computers and other technology have changed the way we live. For instance, thanks to online banking, we can now check our account balances or pay a bill whenever we want, using a home computer or even a cell phone. We have immediate access to cash using any ATM machine in the world.
The healthcare industry, however, has lagged behind other industries when it comes to using modern technologies to improve our lives. Fortunately, that is changing. The growing use of electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchange (HIE) is allowing electronic heath information to be available securely -- anytime and anywhere doctors, nurses and patients need it.
Health Information Exchange, or HIE, is a way of instantly and securely sharing health information among approved doctors’ offices, hospitals, labs, radiology centers, and other health organizations. HIE allows delivery of the right health information to the right place at the right time, providing safer, more timely, efficient, patient-centered care.
You can download a printable fact sheet (PDF) on the benefits of HIE in Maryland by clicking here.
The CRISP HIE will allow the doctors and nurses treating you in a hospital or doctor’s office to access your medical history. For example, doctors can review recent lab results whether the test was conducted at your primary care provider, at the hospital, or at participating labs across the State.
CRISP takes patient privacy very seriously and recognizes that HIE cannot succeed if patients do not trust that their information is safe. Protecting patient information in the CRISP HIE is a priority. CRISP follows all State and Federal laws (for example, HIPAA) to protect patient information. CRISP considers the privacy and security protections outlined by the law to be minimum standards, and many of our policies go above and beyond what is required by law.
Yes. You can choose to opt-out of the HIE in several ways:
- Click here to opt-out on our secure website
- Call 1-877-95-CRISP (27477)
- Fax your completed form to 443-817-9587
- Mail your completed form to:
CRISP
7160 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, MD 21046
Your address will be used to send a letter confirming
your opt-out choice.
Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) is Maryland’s state designated health information exchange (HIE). CRISP is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation charged with electronically connecting healthcare providers across the state.
Currently, when doctors need to share health information about a patient, the process is cumbersome, and usually involves phone calls, frequent mailings, and faxes. Gathering health information on a patient can take hours or even weeks, and sometimes the information is not available at all. CRISP is working to make health information available electronically to providers, so that those caring for patients have immediate access to important information used to make more informed treatment decisions.