The Institute and Social Security Administration Collaborate to Make Social Security Disability Process More Efficient

Last week, the Institute launched the eHealth Exchange interface in collaboration with the Social Security Administration (SSA).

The Institute will transmit complete secure medical records for Social Security disability applicants. Upon receipt of a patient consented request by the SSA, records are sent almost instantly as compared to weeks through the traditional manual process (mail, fax, or secure website). The electronic process saves time and money.

“This fast, safe, and secure method for receiving medical records will significantly shorten the time it takes to make a disability decision and makes the process more efficient,” Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Nancy A. Berryhill said.

The eHealth Exchange is a group of federal agencies and non-federal organizations that came together under a common mission and purpose to improve patient care, streamline disability benefit claims, and improve public health reporting through secure, trusted, and interoperable health information exchange.  The eHealth Exchange is the largest health data sharing network of its kind in the United States. Its reach connects participants in all 50 states, across four federal agencies, 65 percent of U.S. hospitals, 50,000 medical groups, 3,400+ dialysis centers, 8,300 pharmacies, supporting more than 100 million patients.

Earlier in the year, the Institute connected to Carequality and in August we launched, in collaboration with the U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs, the Veteran Health Information Exchange Program.  This SSA collaboration was the last component in launching eHealth Exchange.

“We are excited to have a method in place that automates medical records requests for disability applications. It speeds up this process tremendously for our patients and that is invaluable,” said Kathy Cresswell, the Institute’s Chief Information Officer.