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Integrated Care Collaboration Achieves EHNAC/THSA Accreditation
Posted on 21 October, 2014
AUSTIN, Texas – August 29, 2014 – Integrated Care Collaboration (ICC), the state designated, regional HIE for Central Texas, announced today it has achieved full accreditation with the Texas Health Information Exchange Accreditation Program (TX-HIEAP) from the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) and the Texas Health Services Authority (THSA). Texas HIE Accreditation ensures HIEs within Texas are interoperable with state and federal programs, and provide the private, secure and proper exchange of health information in accordance with established laws and public policy.
Through the consultative review process, EHNAC and THSA evaluated the ICC in areas of privacy, security and confidentiality; technical performance; business practices and organizational resources as it relates to HIE participants in Texas. In addition, EHNAC and THSA reviewed the organization’s process of managing and transferring protected health information and determined that the organization meets or exceeds the necessary program criteria and industry standards. Through completion of the rigorous accreditation process, the organization demonstrates to its constituents its adherence to strict standards and participation in the comprehensive, objective evaluation of its business.
“The Texas HIE Accreditation Program ensures that organizations like the ICC meet the specific needs and legal requirements of the state, in addition to the national HIE program,” says Lee Barrett, executive director of EHNAC. “By achieving accreditation, the ICC has proven its commitment to the highest standards in privacy, security, confidentiality and sustainability in health information exchange, and we commend them on such a considerable accomplishment.”
“Increasing confidence and trust in organizations involved in exchanging and maintaining electronic health information will not only foster greater participation in HIEs, but also support sustainability of HIE efforts in Texas and across the United States,” stated Tony Gilman, CEO of the Texas Health Services Authority.
He continued, “I would like to commend the ICC for its work to support an interoperable, private, and secure HIE network.”
The ICC is a nonprofit alliance of health care providers in Central Texas dedicated to the collection, analysis and sharing of health information with the goal of improving health care quality and cost efficiency across the continuum of care.
“Achieving this accreditation through EHNAC is an important step in our goal to serve Texans as a recognized and trusted HIE solution and demonstrate our dedication to providing private, secure, and reliable HIE services to our region.” said Tony Nelson, Information Security Officer for the ICC.
About Organization
The ICC is a nonprofit alliance of health care providers in Central Texas dedicated to the collection, analysis and sharing of health information with the goal of improving health care quality and cost efficiency across the continuum of care.
One of the ICC’s primary functions is the operation and management of a regional Health Information Exchange called the ICare system. Through the analysis of clinical data in the ICare system, the ICC is able to identify needs in the Central Texas health care system and create programs to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations.
ICC Members are health and social services providers, payers and purchasers, including hospital systems, health care networks, community health centers, clinics, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, individual providers and others.
About THSA
The Texas Health Services Authority is responsible for coordinating the implementation of health information exchange (HIE) in Texas. The THSA was created by the Texas legislature in 2007 as a public-private partnership, legally structured as a non-profit corporation, to support the improvement of the Texas health care system by promoting and coordinating HIE and health information technology (HIT) throughout the state to ensure that the right information is available to the right health care providers at the right times. For more information, visit www.HIETexas.org.
About EHNAC
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) is a voluntary, self-governing standards development organization (SDO) established to develop standard criteria and accredit organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data. These entities include electronic health networks, payers, financial services firms, health information exchanges, medical billers, outsourced services, e-prescribing solution providers and direct trusted agents.
EHNAC was founded in 1993 and is a tax-exempt 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization. Guided by peer evaluation, the EHNAC accreditation process promotes quality service, innovation, cooperation and open competition in healthcare. To learn more, visit www.ehnac.org or contact info@ehnac.org. Connect with EHNAC on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Press contact information:
Edie L Morris, Interim COO and CFO
8627 N Mopac Expressway, Suite #300 • Austin, Texas 78759
Tel: (512) 804-2090 ext. 10107, Fax: (512) 804-2096
E-mail: emorris@icc-centex.org Web: www.icc-centex.org