If you want to know more about the Health Information Exchange, you’re in the right place.

The Vermont Health Information Exchange keeps health records in one place. Most Vermonters have a health record in the Vermont Health Information Exchange that is made up of information about their health and the health care they have received from different doctors and at different practices and hospitals. Doctors and other health care providers can view information about the patients in their care who are participating in the Vermont Health Information Exchange. This shared health record can help put providers on the same page.

Participating health care organizations (for example: doctors’ offices and hospitals) choose what information they will send to the Vermont Health Information Exchange. A patient’s record in the Vermont Health Information Exchange may contain information including, but not limited to:

• Patient demographics – such as name, age, date of birth, address, etc.
• Problems and conditions
• Allergies
• Medications
• Laboratory test results
• Radiology reports
• Transcribed reports
• Patient care summaries

Health care providers can view the medical records of their patients. These providers may include:

• medical doctors
• medical staff
• pharmacists
• care managers
• dentists
• mental health providers
• home health care nurses
• physical therapists
• emergency medical services providers
• other health care professionals covered under HIPAA.  

Information is also available to authorized administrative staff in organizations that provide health care, to staff at the Vermont Department of Health for public health purposes, and to staff at public and private health insurance providers.

There are several ways to opt-out of having your information viewable to your providers in the Vermont Health Information Exchange: 

• Call the Vermont Health Information Exchange Hotline at 888-980-1243
• Fill out an opt out form online
• Download, print, complete this opt out form, and mail it to VITL, Attention: VHIE Support, 150 Dorset St., Suite 245, PMB 358, So. Burlington, VT 05403 or fax it to 802-651-4208

More information can be found online at vthealthinfo.com or by calling the Vermont Health Information Exchange Hotline at 888-980-1243. Some providers may also be able to answer questions about the Vermont Health Information Exchange. The Office of the Health Care Advocate is also available at 1-800-917-7787. They are not involved with managing the Information Exchange and can help answer any questions you would prefer to talk through with a third party.

Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) is a private, non-profit organization that operates the Vermont Health Information Exchange. More information about VITL is available at www.vitl.net.

Some mental health information is in the Vermont Health Information Exchange and some is not:

• Records about mental health care received at some primary care practices, emergency departments, and hospitals may be included, and may include diagnoses and prescribed medications.
• Vermont’s Designated Agencies (list of Designated Agencies by county and region) do not send information to the Vermont Health Information Exchange.
• Private psychiatrists and mental health counselors do not send information to the Vermont Health Information Exchange.

No, the Vermont Health Information Exchange is not related to Vermont Health Connect or any health insurance exchange.

Some information about substance use disorder is in the Vermont Health Information Exchange and some is not:

• Information about substance use disorder treatment received at some primary care practices, emergency departments, and hospitals may be included, and may include diagnoses and prescribed medications.
• The VHIE does not currently receive data from Designated Agencies, “Hubs” for opioid use disorder treatment, or recovery centers.

You can request a copy of your records available in the Vermont Health Information Exchange by requesting a record request form. Once you have obtained your record, you can share it with your providers.

The best way to find out if your provider sends information to the Vermont Health Information Exchange is to check this list of contributing providers.

Yes, laboratory results, reports about medical visits, and radiology reports are in the Vermont Health Information Exchange. They may be included if the laboratory, hospital, or practice where the test was conducted sends information to the Information Exchange or if the provider who ordered the test received information from the Vermont Health Information Exchange.

Yes, medications that have been prescribed and prescriptions that have been filled are included in the Vermont Health Information Exchange.

The information about medication and prescriptions that is in the Vermont Health Information Exchange comes from doctors and providers and from a network of pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, clearing houses, insurance claims, and Surescripts.

The Vermont Health Information Exchange is not linked to the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS).

Yes, there are some notes in the Vermont Health Information Exchange. These include notes from health care providers, such as patient care summaries, radiology reports, transcribed reports, operation notes, and discharge instructions.

The data that providers and other authorized users have access to includes data sent to the Vermont Health Information Exchange in 2018 and later. Some of the records that contributing organizations send includes patient histories, which may include information from much earlier.

Some information from other states is available in the Vermont Health Information Exchange, including:

• Information about care received at Dartmouth Health
• Information about care received at hospitals and practices around the country that participate in eHealth Exchange

Employers do not have access to the Vermont Health Information Exchange.

VITL, the organization that operates the Vermont Health Information Exchange, uses three core strategies to ensure that individual medical records in the Information Exchange are only accessed by health care professionals for purposes of providing care.

• VITL has a training program for participating health care organizations, detailing appropriate use of the Vermont Health Information Exchange.
• VITL ensures that there are warnings and notifications in place to remind users about appropriate use. 
• VITL has established an auditing program to identify potential misuse of the system, including conducting routine audits of user activity in the Vermont Health Information Exchange. All emergency record access requests are audited.

Health insurance companies may use data from the Information Exchange.

Yes, in the event of a medical emergency where a provider believes their patient is experiencing a condition that poses an immediate threat to their health which requires immediate medical attention, they may access their patient’s health record in the Vermont health Information Exchange. This is referred to as a “break the glass” record search, and it is permitted for patients who have opted out. Break the glass events are rare and each time they occur VITL performs an audit to ensure the access was appropriate. The patient or their legal representative must be notified of this access as soon as reasonably possible.

The Vermont Health Information Exchange does not currently have a patient portal. A patient may request that their complete health record in the Vermont Health Information Exchange be sent to them by completing this form. Patients should contact the VITL hotline at 888-980-1243 for more information.

Yes, to test and troubleshoot the system. Some VITL employees may need to view limited amounts of information in the Vermont Health Information Exchange. Employees of VITL accessing the system must have an established need under the “health care operations” consideration of HIPAA. All VITL employees are given training on patient privacy, HIPAA, and minimum necessary access to patient information.

Some information in the Vermont Health Information Exchange is shared with out-of-state providers through eHealth Exchange and through qualified national event notification systems that notify providers when their patient has been admitted, discharged, or transferred from a care setting (like an emergency room or inpatient hospital) or has experienced a significant health event.

VITL, the organization that operates the Vermont Health Information Exchange, uses several strategies to ensure data in the Information Exchange is secure, including adherence to national security protocols like the NIST Cyber Security Framework. Additionally, all information in the Health Information Exchange is compliant with HIPPA privacy protections.

• All information sent to or by the Vermont Health Information Exchange is encrypted.
• The Vermont Health Information Exchange systems are all physically located in secure datacenters.
• VITL monitors the use of the Information Exchange. All VITL staff and staff at partner organizations are trained to identify and report security incidents. Unusual or malicious events are reviewed and addressed.

The best way to correct any incorrect information in the Vermont Health Information Exchange is to contact the health care organization that originally sent the data to the Information Exchange. The Vermont Health Information Exchange hotline 888-980-1243 can offer more information about your options.

To check on your current status in the Vermont Health Information Exchange you can call the Vermont Health Information Exchange Hotline at 888-980-1243.

There are several options for asking questions and raising concerns about the Vermont Health Information Exchange:

• Call the Vermont Health Information Exchange Hotline at 888-980-1243.
• Call the Office of The Health Care Advocate 1-800-917-7787 – the Office of the Health Care Advocate is a free resource to help Vermonters solve problems related to health care and is independent of the Vermont Health Information Exchange.

To request a copy of your health record in the Vermont Health Information Exchange, fill out and submit the record request form.

You can request an audit report, showing every Vermont Health Information Exchange user who has accessed your record. To request the audit, fill out the audit request form.

Yes, you can change your mind at any time.

You can opt-out by filling out this form, by downloading a printable form, filling it out, and mailing it to VITL, or by calling the VITL hotline at 1-888-980-1243. 

Yes. Signing up with the Vermont Health Information Exchange is not required to receive high-quality care. A provider cannot deny you care based on your decision about participating in the Vermont Health Information Exchange.

If you opt-out of participating in the Vermont Health Information Exchange, your providers will continue accessing information about your health and health care the same way they have in the past. This may involve some combination of electronic medical records, fax, and phone.

No. Opting-out stops healthcare professionals involved in your care from viewing your health record in the Vermont Health Information Exchange, but that information is not removed from the Information Exchange and may still be available in the event that you experience a medical emergency.

Opt-out decisions last forever unless you choose to revoke opt-out, which can be done using the opt-in form.