CAREENTRUST GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is CareEntrust?
CareEntrust is a not-for-profit health information exchange (HIE) located in the Kansas City area. As an independent “trusted agent,” CareEntrust provides a secure, longitudinal view of health information to both consumers and authorized health care providers in order to improve the safety, quality and efficiency of health care. By providing consumers with access to their own health information, it allows for the consumer to become more engaged in their own health and the ability to provide access to their health care providers.

What is the history of CareEntrust?
CareEntrust resulted from discussions among Kansas City area civic leaders in 2005 regarding the need for fundamental change in health care and how employers might be able to be a catalyst for that change by being more involved in possible solutions. The CareEntrust Health Record is what the group decided to focus on by leveraging local health care information technology expertise.

How does the CareEntrust Health Record assist in reducing inefficiencies in the health care system?
The CareEntrust Health Record helps connect the consumer and their health care providers across multiple care locations by creating a health record for every person participating. The CareEntrust Health Record facilitates the secure sharing of information at the point of care and helps increase the quality of health care by reducing errors and wasteful redundancies within the system.

If I change jobs, will my CareEntrust Health Record be deactivated or can I still view it?
Your CareEntrust Health Record is portable and will always be available to you whether or not you change employers. However, claims information will only be a part of your CareEntrust Health Record if your employer is offering the CareEntrust Health Record as a health benefit. If you change jobs to a non-sponsoring organization or don’t have health insurance through your employer, no new claim information will be available within your CareEntrust Health Record. However, you still have the option to enter your own information in your CareEntrust Health Record.

Is CareEntrust available to my family/dependents?
If you are an employee of a sponsoring organization, any of your dependents receiving health insurance benefits will also receive a CareEntrust Health Record. Each family member will have their own health record.

How do I access my dependent’s CareEntrust Health Record? Are they listed on my account, or do they have a separate record?
Each individual has their own CareEntrust health record which is accessed separately by a unique username and password. If they are under the age of 14, the instructions on how to claim their account will be provided to the primary health benefit subscriber. If the dependent is 14 or older, the instructions will be sent directly to the dependent. Currently, there is no option to make your CareEntrust health record available to another family member.

Which employers are participating in CareEntrust?
CareEntrust has two dozen employer sponsors to date which represent other large and small companies, and federal and state government entities. New employers are currently being added to the list.

Why do employers participate in this effort?
CareEntrust offers the potential to increase health care quality and decrease costs by leveraging health care information technology to prevent harmful and expensive medical errors, while minimizing inefficiencies and administrative costs. Participating employers are committed to CareEntrust’s mission and the long-term goals.

CAREENTRUST RECORD:

What is a CareEntrust Health Record?
A CareEntrust Health Record collects and organizes health care visit information, including medication data and lab data from screenings (when available), to create a secure repository for much of what a health care provider needs to know in order to effectively treat their patients. The CareEntrust Health Record will offer immediate and secure access to a person’s own health information across multiple locations, by facilitating communication among health care providers. The CareEntrust Health Record can prevent adverse drug events and medication overdoses by offering the most up-to-date information, eliminate redundant procedures and unnecessary hospital admissions, and aid in the delivery of coordinated, hassle-free care.

What type of information will be included in my CareEntrust Health Record?
Initially, your CareEntrust Health Record will include claims filed with an insurance provider through your medical plan for up to the past 2 years. This can help prompt a dialogue between you and your medical provider about previous treatments you may have received. Note that information in your CareEntrust Health Record is received from your employer’s medical and prescription-drug administrators, NOT directly from your physician. Information such as doctor’s notes will not be included in your health record. In addition, you can now input your own personal health data such as:

• Demographic information
• Medications (prescription and non-prescription)
• Allergies
• Personal history
• Family history
• Social history
• Surgeries and procedures

What information is not included in the CareEntrust Health Record?
Information that is NOT included within the CareEntrust Health Record includes diagnoses, procedures or prescription drugs that may be considered “Sensitive” under state and/or federal law.
Examples include:

• HIV
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Genetic information
• Mental health
• Drug/substance abuse
• Family planning/pregnancy information (Minors only)

Will my CareEntrust Health Record include any “screening” data, such as my cholesterol level or blood pressure?
At launch, your CareEntrust Health Record may or may not have screening data such as cholesterol or blood pressure. Please check with your employer to determine whether this data will be included in your record. However, CareEntrust regularly adds new services, and screening data may be included in the future as employee-entered information and/or information received from screening providers.

Is the information contained in my CareEntrust Health Record secure?
CareEntrust takes privacy and security very seriously. In order to assist in meeting compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws, CareEntrust has implemented administrative, physical and technical safeguards to secure health information. For example, each participating provider is limited to accessing the minimum amount of data necessary based on the provider’s role and consumer’s authorization of access.  CareEntrust Web site is safeguarded with a Secure Sockets Layer that transmits private application pages through the Internet. A state-of-the-art technology center, which maintains appropriate HIPAA policies and procedures, hosts the CareEntrust Health Record to ensure the physical security of the data. None of the participating companies gain any rights to data collected through this effort.

PHYSICIAN RELATED QUESTIONS:

How do I know if my physician or the medical facility at which I’m receiving treatment is participating in CareEntrust?
CareEntrust is currently rolling the system out to area providers. To find out if one or more of your medical providers or a specific medical facility is participating in CareEntrust, you can ask the provider’s office when you set up an appointment or discuss it directly with the provider. You may also call CareEntrust support at 816-221-7714 or e-mail support@CareEntrust.org.

What if one of my medical providers is not participating in CareEntrust?
If your health care provider is not participating presently, you may want to print out a copy of your CareEntrust Health Record and give it to him or her during your visit. CareEntrust highly encourages participants to become more engaged in their health and “spread the word” regarding the new CareEntrust Health Record. There is no charge to health care providers to use the CareEntrust health information exchange system. Interested health care providers can contact CareEntrust at 816-221-7710 ext. 300 or toll free at 1-866-631-3737, or e-mail inquiries@CareEntrust.org.

What does granting or denying access mean?
You have the ability to determine whether you want to share your CareEntrust Health Record with your health care providers. There are three options to choose from: grant access to all health care providers, grant access to selected provider organizations, or deny access to all. Within the “Record Sharing” section, you can click on the “Manage Record Access” link. Simply choose your desired selection and click the “Apply” button. If you decide to “Grant access to only select provider organizations”, type in the name of the organization and click “Go.” If you cannot find your organization, you can send an email to support@CareEntrust.org, or call 816.221.7714. You can change your selections at any time.