Care Everywhere

CareEverywhere

• How Does Care Everywhere benefit me?

  Care Everywhere lets your healthcare provider securely access and update your record from other healthcare organizations.

  Your providers who use Epic, or another EHR that can share health information, exchange information when they need to coordinate care for you and other patients. Records are updated automatically between healthcare providers through our secure network Care Everywhere. Your doctor sees your information from other healthcare organizations right within your medical record. This will help them better and more efficiently meet your healthcare needs.

• Why do we share information?

  We only share a patient's record with other health care providers outside of this organization when the patient is being cared for by them. We do this so that the patient gets safe and effective treatment wherever that happens. For example, we might share a record if a patient needs emergency treatment while traveling, or if they see a specialist at another organization.

  Secure, electronic exchange of a patient's information gives care teams the information they need to make the best decision for a patient's health - it could even save a patient's life. It means the patient doesn't need to worry about how to take their record with them when they receive care somewhere else.

• Who is it shared with?

  Only health care professionals who are involved in the patient's care can request their information.

• What kind of information will be shared?

  Patient health information includes any information included on your personal electronic health record. The information that will be exchanged may include information about your:

  • Allergies
  • Medications
  • Medical, surgical, family and social history
  • Immunizations
  • Clinic and hospital visits
  • Lab and imaging test results (including HIV)
  • Diagnoses (including HIV)
  • Procedures
• Is my information secure and private?

  Yes. Medical records are encrypted and sent directly and securely to the requester, which is much faster and safer than fax or mail. We follow all federal and state laws about protected health information, and all requests to share a patient's medical record are recorded.

• Participating organizations

  To see the organizations globally that participate in Care Everywhere, visit this Epic Website. We also participate in connections with the Veterans Affairs, Social Security Office, Greater Houston Health Connect, eHealth Exchange, CareQuality, Surescripts, and many others.

• Why wasn’t my record already shared?

  If your provider uses an electronic health record (EHR) system that can securely share data, they can receive your records from another provider and might already have your health information. If they don’t already have your records, it could be for a few different reasons:

  • The other organization might still use paper medical records or an EHR that is not able to share data;
  • There might be local laws that require you to sign a consent form before your records can be shared between organizations, and that consent form is not on file; or
  • There might be a mismatch of important information about you. For example, your name or date of birth might not match between the two organizations.

  If you have a MyChart account, you can always share your record with anyone using Share Everywhere, even if they don’t use an EHR.

• Can I revoke authorization for UTMB to electronically request and receive my health information?
  Yes. You or your legally authorized representative may revoke authorization at any time by notifying UTMB in writing. To do so, contact the Health Information Management Department, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, Texas 77555-0782.
• Is there a cost for me associated with sharing my information electronically?
  No.
• As a legally authorized representative for the patient, am I able to sign the authorization for the electronic exchange of records?
  Yes. You will be asked to sign an an authorization form that will remain on file at UTMB.