Rochester RHIO and Department of Veterans Affairs Partner to Support Better Patient Care

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Canandaigua VA Medical Center is now participating in Rochester RHIO’s (Regional Health Information Organization) community health information exchange (HIE). Rochester RHIO supports better patient care for the region’s veterans by connecting VA providers to their HIE services.

Many veterans receive care from both VA and community providers. Utilization of RHIO services will allow authorized VA users to securely look up medical information from community provider visits in the RHIO’s clinical query tool (with patient consent). Clinicians will have access to a more comprehensive patient health record, which is important in determining care and treatment plans.

Nationally-recognized studies have shown that access to Rochester RHIO services results in more seamless patient care with fewer repeated tests, faster treatment, lower medical costs, and a decreased risk of medical errors due to incomplete patient records.