Billings Clinic is excited to announce that we have joined Montana's Health Information Exchange (HIE) - Big Sky Care Connect (BSCC), and will now start securely sharing vital information to improve the healthcare we deliver to our patients.
What is an Health Information Exchange (HIE)?
Per The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), an "electronic health information exchange (HIE) allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health care providers and patients to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s vital medical information electronically—improving the speed, quality, safety and cost of patient care." For more information on HIE visit the HIE website.
What is Big Sky Care Connect (BSCC) HIE?
BSCC is "Montana's Premier Health Information Exchange". BSCC was formed in 2018 as a nonprofit organization, in response to the need for a state-wide coordinated HIE, with the goal of enhancing clinical care in communities throughout Montana. BSCC is a state-wide network of participating organizations that serves to facilitate timely and secure access by health care providers to vital clinical information, which will improve the speed, quality, safety and cost of patient care. For more information visit the Big Sky Care Connect website.
Why should I participate in BSCC HIE?
Participation in BSSC is voluntary and can help you in the following ways:
- Supports coordination of your care by providing your treating healthcare providers with more timely access to your health record.
- Improves timeliness of care by specialists as they have immediate access to your health record and would not wait days or weeks for copies of your record from the referring provider.
- Enables the safer administration of your prescription medications by allowing your doctor and treating providers to see a more comprehensive medication list.
- Reduce duplicate medical tests by enabling your doctor and treating providers to gain quick access to medical test results through your health record.
- Empowers you and your treating providers to make more informed medical decisions with access to vital health information at the point of care.
- Avoid loss of key pieces of your health record during unexpected events and disasters.
Is my data safe at BSCC?
BSCC takes data privacy and security very seriously, and so does Billings Clinic. We would not share your information with them if we weren't confident that they have the appropriate safeguards in place to protect your data. The information that is sent is protected, and can only be securely accessed by participating organizations for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health-care related operations.
What data is being sent to the BSCC HIE?
The data being sent to the BSCC HIE includes basic demographic information (age, gender, etc), medications, allergies, past medical histories, problems, surgeries, lab results, radiology reports, clinical notes and other documents like Continuity of Care Documents (which summarize a visit or an in-patient encounter).
Will there be any cost to me?
No. There are no costs to you for our participation in the HIE.
Opting-out of the BSCC HIE
We see participation in this HIE as a great value to you. However, we also respect your right to control your healthcare data. Montana is an "opt-out" state, meaning that your data is automatically sent to the HIE. If you don't want your data to be sent to the BSCC HIE, you can "opt-out". To opt-out, notify your provider or their staff, and they will get you a copy of the Opt-out Form. You can then complete the form and return it to the provider, or send it directly to BSCC HIE at the address listed on the form.
