WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Health care is better with the health information exchange among members of the Care Connectivity Consortium, according to providers and patients.

Carol McNair, 75, and her husband Steve, 81, live in Herron Island, Wash., and have experienced the benefits of health information exchange firsthand. They travel each December from their home to Desert Hot Springs, Calif., for several months of sunshine, and say this winter reprieve would not be possible without the collaboration between their primary care physician at Group Health Cooperative and their Kaiser Permanente physician in Palm Springs, Calif.

During a recent visit to California, Carol began feeling poorly and suspected it could be because of her medications. "I was helping my daughter pick out a wedding dress and just wasn't feeling right. My Kaiser Permanente physician, Dr. Kirk Pagel, was able to review my medications on my electronic medical record and adjust them right away. It's important to me that my doctors have this kind of connectivity and can communicate, so I know I'm always getting the best care."

The Care Connectivity Consortium was created in April 2011 by five health systemsKaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic, Group Health Cooperative, Intermountain Healthcare and Geisinger Health Systemto connect doctors electronically, enabling them to have comprehensive access to patients' medical record information and provide better patient care.Since its formation, the Consortium has developed standards-based information technology to connect doctors across the country. Today, CCC partners can exchange information across all five organizations in select geographic and specialty areas.

By connecting seamlessly to another member of the Care Connectivity Consortium, Kirk Pagel, M.D., the McNairs' Kaiser Permanente physician in Palm Springs can view the McNairs' most recent Group Health Cooperative medical records.

"Dr. Pagel is able to care for us as if we were his year-round patients," said Steve McNair. "Even though we only see him three to four months out of the year, I feel like he's always up to date on our health and a large part of that is due to the data connectivity between Group Health Cooperative and Kaiser Permanente."

Through the work of the Care Connectivity Consortium, clinicians are finding that having access to their patients' comprehensive medical history makes them feel more equipped to provide high-quality, safe care.

"The health information exchange capability with other providers in the Care Connectivity Consortium gives me a more thorough picture of my patients' health before they even walk into the exam room," Dr. Pagel said. "Armed with the right information at the right time, I can give my patients the best care possible."

With patient privacy and security as overarching priorities, the CCC partners are taking the practical steps needed to link pertinent patient data between the separate care systems and medical records, therefore demonstrating the possibility of higher quality and safer care with improved data availability.

Leaders of the five health systems believe that achieving electronic health information interoperability and connectivity will be a critical next step in the United States moving toward 21st century, information-enabled health care.

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Care Connectivity Consortium Takes Care Coordination To New Levels For Patients And Providers