WYFI

The Wyoming Frontier Information (WYFI) HIE will be a centralized repository of clinical data of participating patients.  Providers, through their Electronic Health Record System (EHR) and also via a web browser, will have the ability to download clinical information to support better care and treatment of patients.  All of the HIE data is encrypted and secured, and access to the data is logged and audited. The Wyoming Department of Health, along with CMS have funded the design, development and implementation of WYFI so that Wyoming providers will be able to share patient information electronically and provide patient and care coordination across different care settings in Wyoming. The WYFI will not cost providers a fee to participate through 2021. The WYFI will provide access to data immediately upon provider participation.

WYFI Data Contributors Connection Timeline

Q: Is there a ‘federal HIE’ that we can join?
A: The federal government at one time, via the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT
(ONC), had a network of networks, called the Nationwide Health Information Network, also
known as NHIN or NwHIN. The ONC transitioned this network to the non-profit Sequoia Project
several years ago, and now the Sequoia Project runs this network, now called the eHealth
Exchange. The eHealth Exchange “is a group of federal agencies and non-federal organizations
that came together under a common mission and purpose”. Members of the eHealth exchange
can query for patient records, however, this is a network of networks approach, and typically a
member would look for a single patient record, across multiple networks and primarily composed
of federal agencies. Connecting to the Sequoia Project and the eHealth Exchange are on the
roadmap for Wyoming, as is connecting to regional and neighboring HIEs for data sharing.

Interface Questionnaire example

wdh_hie_environmentalscan

HIPAA PASS

1. What is Health Information Exchange (HIE)?

• HIE provides the capability to electronically move clinical information among disparate healthcare information systems, and maintain the meaning of the information being exchanged. (HIMSS Dictionary of Healthcare Information Technology Terms, Acronyms and Organizations, Third Edition)
• Please refer to HIMSS Health Information Exchange FAQ for further information.

2. What is WYFI?

• The Wyoming Frontier Information (WYFI) HIE will be a centralized repository of clinical data of participating patients. Providers, through their Electronic Health Record System (EHR) and also via a web browser, will have the ability to download clinical information to support better care and treatment of patients. All of the HIE data is encrypted and secured, and access to the data is logged and audited. The Wyoming Department of Health, along with CMS have funded the design, development and implementation of WYFI so that Wyoming providers will be able to share patient information electronically and provide patient and care coordination across different care settings in Wyoming. The WYFI will not cost providers a fee to participate through 2021. The WYFI will provide access to data immediately upon provider participation.