IMPORTANT UPDATES

Patient Health Information Exchange

In an effort to securely share patient information, Children’s participates in two health information exchanges. This allows us to send and receive information about the kids and families we serve, which benefits care.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta shares healthcare information with other organizations and specialists through health information exchanges.

A health information exchange is a group of organizations that can securely exchange patient information for the benefit of patient care. Members of an exchange are able to send and receive information about specific patients to and from other members as needed.

For more information or questions about the health information exchanges at Children’s, contact healthinformationexchange@choa.org.
  1. The Georgia Health Information Network is a statewide exchange open to large healthcare organizations and their affiliates across Georgia. Members include Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Health System.
  2. Care Everywhere is an exchange that allows organizations across the country to request records from Children’s with written consent from a patient or patient family.

The information available in a healthcare information exchange is a general summary of patient care, including:
  • Allergies
  • Medications
  • Diagnoses
  • Lab tests
  • Procedures
  • Visit summaries
Exchange members can only access patient information for treatment, business operations or obtaining a payment as required by law.

Sensitive information, such as a patient’s mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS and genetic information, is protected by extra restrictions. In many cases, this information will not be released by a health information exchange.

Detailed information like physician notes and lab results will never be shared. Diagnoses and medications that relate to the sensitive information, however, are part of the care summary document that is sent through an exchange.
If a patient or patient family doesn’t want information exchanged within a health information exchange, the patient or patient family can fill out and submit an opt-out request form. Patients are opted in to the Georgia Health Information Network by default but can opt out at any time.

Information exchange through Care Everywhere is only allowed with written consent from the patient or patient family.

Opt-Out Forms

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