August 4, 2015 ‐ Winston‐Salem, N.C. – Novant Health has become the first health system headquartered in North Carolina to give the Social Security Administration (SSA) access to patients’ health information through Epic’s Care Everywhere. This access allows SSA to quickly and securely perform a patient search, review a patient’s medical history, and confirm or deny a patient’s physical or mental disability claim.
By connecting SSA to Care Everywhere, the time required to request and receive medical records for the determination of eligibility for disability benefits has been reduced from weeks or months down to minutes. If additional information is required (e.g., sensitive information, behavioral health information, provider notes or detailed lab results), SSA can quickly make those determinations and follow up with a request for more details through traditional mail or fax.
“Since implementing Novant Health’s electronic health record, we have created efficiencies that have brought about positive changes for our patients, including improved coordination between our physicians and external health organizations,” said Dave Garrett, Novant Health senior vice president and chief information officer. “Connecting to the Social Security Administration will only broaden those successes and enhance our patients’ experiences with our system and team members.”
The efficiencies created by connecting with SSA through Care Everywhere now allow Novant Health patients to be notified of SSA’s disability decisions, faster. In addition, if approved they can begin receiving disability payments and can automatically be enrolled for Medicare benefits in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
“Novant Health is committed to making care as easy and convenient as possible for our patients,” Garrett said. “Through the interoperability provided by Epic’s Care Everywhere and connections in the health information exchange, Novant Health can ensure our patients’ medical records are easily and securely accessed – so our patients can receive care when and where they need it most.”
About Novant Health
Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to our communities. Novant Health consists of more than 1,200 physicians and 25,000 employees who make healthcare remarkable at nearly 500 locations, including 14 medical centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. Nationally, all of Novant Health facilities continue to rank in the top 10 percent of healthcare organizations on national indicators for quality. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., Novant Health is committed to making healthcare remarkable for patients and communities, serving more than 4 million patients annually. In 2014, Novant Health provided more than $639 million in community benefit including charity care and services. Novant Health is ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 integrated delivery networks by IMS Health.
For more information, please visit our website at NovantHealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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