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PatientsWhat VITL Can Do For Patients
Any Vermonter who has seen a doctor or been a hospital patient already knows what happens in a fragmented health care system. Physicians and hospitals often don’t know about tests and procedures previously done by other health care providers. So they order their own tests, which wastes money and your time. Because they don’t have access to information about you, they ask you to fill out a lot of forms and to remember your entire medical history. If a doctor doesn’t know all the medications you are taking, it could even be dangerous if a drug is prescribed that conflicts with others you are on.
VITL can greatly improve Vermont’s health care system by making information about you available to all participating health care providers over a secure electronic network. If you give VITL permission to include your information on our network, when you go to visit a new physician, he or she will be able to use a computer to view your entire medical history. That includes the medications you are taking, the chronic conditions that you have, and previous treatments, tests, and surgeries. You’ll spend time less time filling out forms, and more importantly, you’ll get better care because your provider will know more about you. The same goes for visiting a new hospital.
How Will It Work?
VITL functions as an information clearinghouse. Participating organizations share information about their patients. This information is combined and formatted for easy viewing by clinicians. On their computer screen, they see up-to-date information about you from a variety of sources, including physician offices, hospitals, insurers, pharmacies, and labs. By seeing real-time data, they can use it to make the very best decisions for your health care.
Our goal is to get the right information on the right patient to the right health care provider at the right time. As a patient, you’ll receive more efficient and timely medical care. The quality of your care will be better, and you’ll be safer because your caregivers will have better information to go on. For more information on how VITL will develop a health information exchange network in Vermont, see the Vermont Health Information Technology Plan in the Policy section.
Privacy and Security
Even though data available through VITL is private and secure, some people may still be concerned about who can see their sensitive personal information. It is important to note that employers and government agencies will not have access to your personal data. Only health care providers participating in VITL will have access.
Another benefit of VITL is that patients will have access to their own health information, all combined in one location. Using VITL they can be better informed about their health and become more engaged in managing their own care.
VITL's First Project
The very first VITL project is an electronic medication history service, which is available in the emergency departments at the Rutland Regional Medical Center and the Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury. If patients at those emergency rooms give permission, their physicians and nurses are able to access a list of all the medications that a patient is on. This information helps clinicians make better decisions and improve patient safety. Eventually, the medication history service will be available in every emergency department in the state.
How You Can Get Involved
As VITL continues its development, we’ll keep this section of the website updated to keep you informed about how you, as a patient, can participate and benefit. In the meantime, please take a look at the FAQ page for additional information, and participate in our patient discussion group by signing up on the Forums page.
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