FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Botsford Hospital became the latest medical facility in Metro Detroit to sign on with Michigan Health Connect (MHC), which provides the secure, efficient electronic transfer of health records among member providers across the state, the hospital announced on Monday.
Other new members of Michigan Health Connect include three hospitals located across southern Lower Michigan, bringing to 54 the total number of hospitals statewide using Michigan's largest health information exchange.
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"By joining Michigan Health Connect, Botsford Hospital can provide physicians treating the 17,000 inpatients and 60,000 emergency patients we see each year with the most complete medical record possible," said Dr. Paul E. LaCasse, D.O., MPH, president and CEO of Botsford Health Care. "In addition, the thousands of patients treated by the more than 600 physicians affiliated with Botsford will also benefit from the enhanced care this system provides."
Grand Rapids-based Michigan Health Connect is leading the charge in Michigan to "wire" health care providers across the country, as a part of federal and state efforts to improve patient care and hold down spiraling costs. Other Metro Detroit MHC members include Ascension Health, Beaumont Health System, McLaren Health Care and Trinity Health, bringing to 18 the number of hospitals using Michigan Health Connect in this area.
In addition to Botsford, the three other new MHC members are Port Huron Hospital, Hillsdale Community Health Center and Three Rivers Health.
"The secure exchange of medical records ensures quality and cost control while improving the efficiency of health care providers across the state," said Doug Dietzman, MHC executive director. "As members of Michigan Health Connect, community hospitals can offer their patients and physicians the same quantity and quality of medical information as the state's largest hospitals."
Dietzman noted that the addition of each new MHC member enhances the value for all. "The number and geographic diversity of hospitals joining Michigan Health Connect reflect this organization's momentum in the expanding market for health information exchange and our increasing value to members," said Dietzman.
Home health care provider Ensure Care, of Kalamazoo, also recently joined MHC. Home care is a rapidly growing industry and the electronic exchange of records gives medical professionals treating patients in home settings the ability to connect with other providers caring for home-bound patients.