New Jersey physicians can join NJHIE at no cost. The pilot program focuses on giving physician-members on-line access to medical imaging (such as CAT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds and X-rays) and associated reports from participating hospitals and imaging centers. This initial program will especially benefit radiologists, who now have immediate access to a greater number of pre-existing images and reports. Other medical professionals, in turn, will benefit from being able to make faster, more accurate emergency room assessments, and spending less time securing patient records.

“This new program will give New Jersey providers the modern information tools they need to provide their patients with the finest possible care,” said aid Paul Portsmore, vice president of health services for AmeriHealth. “The exchange will increase convenience and, most importantly, enhance patient outcomes.”

The exchange, now in the pilot program stage, is being built by Philadelphia-based HxTechnologies (HxTI), a health care IT and services company specializing in health information exchange. HxTI will also operate the system, and continually audit system use to enforce compliance.

“Our data indicates that up to 20 percent of patients have relevant prior images that are scattered among multiple health care providers and are typically inaccessible to other physicians,” said Dr. Elliot Menschik, HxTI’s founder and president. “With this groundbreaking initiative, AmeriHealth is leveraging technology to help deliver immediate benefits to patients, their providers and their employers, while laying the foundation for the next-generation health-delivery system.”

The exchange will rigorously enforce the privacy and security safeguards already in place at each participating medical facility, and which typically exceed HIPAA requirements. Patients will always have the final say over whether or not their records can be shared across the network. Physician use of the system is strictly limited to patient treatment purposes.

Beyond the initial pilot program, AmeriHealth anticipates broadening the scope of NJHIE to other types of medical records in 2009. AmeriHealth and HxTechnologies are working actively with the initial set of participating health care providers. Providers interested in participating in the exchange are encouraged to contact HxTechnologies at 215-923-4984 or e-mail njhie@hxti.com to learn more.

AmeriHealth New Jersey provides health care coverage to nearly 230,000 New Jersey residents. The company's contracted hospital and physician network includes thousands of physicians at 76 hospitals throughout its service area.

AmeriHealth New Jersey has offices in Mt. Laurel and Iselin. The company's managed care plan, AmeriHealth HMO Inc. of New Jersey, has received the highest possible accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) by meeting NCQA's rigorous evaluation standards. AmeriHealth New Jersey is part of AmeriHealth, Inc, a growing group of insurance and health care companies whose product portfolio includes health insurance, workers' compensation, property and casualty insurance, and management services. For more information on AmeriHealth, visit our website at www.amerihealth.com