From the desk of Rachael Roehrig, Deputy Executive Director of KHIE

Welcome to the August edition of KHIE Monthly Updates!

I want to start by thanking everyone who joined us for our August 12^th webinar, Get to Know KHIE. We were thrilled with the great turnout and engagement with this webinar. If you weren't able to join us for the live event, or would just like to review the materials, you can find them on the KHIE website, or click the links below:

• Webinar recording (video)
• Webinar presentation (PDF)
• Video demonstration of our Clinical Information application

In case you missed the webinar, we are excited to introduce you to our newest, and furriest, team member: KHIE Kitty! KHIE Kitty is here to remind you that every piece of data you share and use has real-world impact on our patients. He will pop up in future newsletters and webinars to give you useful tips, call outs, and reminders to make sharing and using KHIE data as easy and effective as possible. We hope you'll find him helpful as you continue to navigate and use the KHIE Portal!

Deputy Inspector General

»August Feature: Back-to-School Health

As students across Kentucky prepare to head back to school, healthcare providers enter a busy period of immunization record requests, chronic condition check-ups, and increased ER visits due to sports and playground injuries. The clinical data in the KHIE Portal helps to ensure a well-rounded picture for every patient encounter, helping you identify gaps, make more informed decisions, reduce duplicative testing, and keep students safe this school year.

August is one of the busiest times for pediatric and family practices. Appointments are in high demand as families juggle back-to-school preparation with work schedules, and students scramble to complete required forms, clearances, and immunizations to meet tight deadlines.

In this feature, we will explore how KHIE data can help you successfully navigate this hectic season. The case examples presented are hypothetical scenarios created for informative purposes.

Use Case 1: Identifying Hidden Risks Ahead of the upcoming football season, a high school athlete visits his family practitioner for a routine sports physical. On the intake form, his mother checks 'no known problems,' and a thorough physical exam reveals no immediate causes for concern.

However, when the physician reviews the clinical portal, a different story emerges. The shared data reveals that the patient visited the ER earlier that summer for exercise-induced palpitations—a detail his mother had forgotten to mention. Furthermore, EKG results from that emergency visit confirmed abnormal findings, and a critical referral to a cardiologist was still pending.

Equipped with a complete picture of the patient's health history, the physician placed restrictions on the athlete's sports clearance, successfully averting a potentially dangerous cardiac event on the field.

Use Case 2: Transfer Student A middle school student has just moved with her family from Lexington to Louisville where she will be starting a new school. The family visits a new pediatrician's office to complete her required school forms. However, the previous pediatrician's office in Lexington has not yet transferred her medical records. The forms are needed urgently for the patient to start school.

Using the Immunizations tab in the Clinical Information application, the new office can see the patient's vaccination history, and:

• Confirm that all required school vaccinations are up to date.
• See that the patient has received one of two doses of the HPV vaccine series.

Using this comprehensive data, the physician can confidently complete her school immunization form and safely administer the missing dose of the HPV vaccine.

Use Case 3: Asthma Exacerbation A pediatrician's office receives an alert through Population Explorer that their 8-year-old patient with a history of asthma was admitted to the hospital due to a severe asthma attack the previous evening. To ensure a smooth transition of care post-discharge, the office coordinates a timely follow-up with the family.

During the visit, the pediatrician reviews the hospital discharge summary in the Clinical Information application. She sees that:

• The patient was hospitalized for 2 days and treated with steroids and albuterol.
• Her discharge instructions include an increased dose of her controller medication.

Using this information, the pediatrician can:

• Write an updated asthma action plan for the patient's school nurse.
• Discuss the new medication with the patient and her family.

Find the Information You Need in the KHIE Portal Clinical Information Application

Our Clinical Information tool can help you efficiently complete back-to-school appointments and forms, reducing burden and duplicative work. The table below describes common back-to-school healthcare tasks and identifies where you'll find the data you need to complete them.

»How to Set Up Beta Features

1. Go to “User Settings”
2. Click “Beta Features”

3. Click “Enabled” toggle on the Beta Features you want to use. Congratulations! You are now a beta feature user.

»Recent KHIE Portal Enhancements

Clinical Information App

• » New! Access beta features available immediately after they're enabled in your portal user settings. See the instructions above.
• » Enhanced Timeline View:
  • ○ Test names are now displayed directly in the dialog box
  • ○ Access details faster by clicking directly on a Timeline View cell
• » Medicaid ID available within Patient Demographics for easier access to key patient information.

• » Discharge dispositions are now displayed as descriptive labels rather than numeric codes.
• » Redesigned Patient Demographics View.

• » Redesigned Health Records View.

• » New Netsmart EHR Adapter will help connect with Netsmart products via SMART and FHIR launch.

Population Explorer / CEND

• » Discharge dispositions are now displayed as descriptive labels rather than numeric codes.
• » Added Cervical Cancer Screening to preventive services filters. Preventive services filters also include Mammogram screenings and colonoscopies.

HIE Admin

• » New Feature Reminder Emails now sent daily to notify HIE Administrators when an action is required.

»Technical Update

Access notice: 403 error – Last month, some users experienced a 403 error when attempting to log into the KHIE Portal. Our teams quickly rolled out a permanent fix and we are glad to report the issue is now fully resolved for affected users.

• ○ If you experience login issues, please contact the KHIE Support Team for assistance at 800-633-6283.

Kentucky Health Information Exchange  |  khie.ky.gov