We are sharing an important change to the services provided by Reliance eHealth Collaborative. After careful consideration, we regret to announce that the Reliance eReferrals application will be discontinued, with the service ending on November 30, 2023.

We understand that this change may cause inconvenience to some of our users, and we apologize for any disruptions this may cause. We recommend that you start exploring alternative solutions for managing your eReferrals needs and begin transitioning to a new platform before the November 30 deadline.

We are recommending our eReferrals Participating Partners refer to the following FAQ that will address some frequent questions/concerns. You may also reach us by emailing helpdesk@reliancehie.org or calling (855) 290-5443.

We are committed to supporting you as best we can in the transition to a new solution and regret any difficulty this may generate for your practice. We appreciate your partnership and hope to continue to provide you with value through our continuing services.


End-User FAQ

There are several factors that have influenced the decision to discontinue the eReferrals service:

  • Support from the vendor is ending. The technology solution vendor that provides the eReferrals platform for the Reliance network has notified us that they will no longer be providing updates or improvements to the application. This includes development of patches and updates to address security vulnerabilities in the application.
  • Utilization of the platform is declining. As electronic health records (EHRs), care management platforms and population health management platforms increasingly include referrals management in their solution health care organizations are opting to use the EHR solution to address their eReferrals needs.
  • The service cost is more than it makes in revenue. As with any business endeavor we must pay careful attention to the sustainability of the organization and of specific services such as eReferrals. The costs to operate the eReferrals platform now exceed the actual fees generated for its use by the community.

Reliance will not offer a replacement service for the current eReferrals solution. The costs associated with identifying, deploying, and maintaining a new solution exceed what we would be able to recoup in user fees. Further Reliance expects that demand for the service will continue to decline as EHRs continue to deploy integrated referral solutions and interoperability standards are developed for referrals management.

Instead of offering a replacement solution Reliance will leverage a core strength of addressing data sharing through Interoperability to support Referrals management in our community. Going forward, we will support referrals data exchange using newly defined interoperability standards and traditional HL7 and CCD interface standards.

Yes, please see your eReferral administrator to download your organization’s data. If you do not have an eReferral administrator, please email helpdesk@reliancehie.org.

Contact your eReferrals administrator. If you are the administrator, please reference the Administrator section below.

Account Administrator FAQ

While Reliance has not vetted any specific solutions that could replace the eReferrals service, below are options your practice might consider:

  • EHR Integrated Referrals Management. Contact your EHR vendor to determine if they offer a solution or have an existing partnership with a solution provider.
  • Direct Secure Messaging. Direct is available through Reliance for entities whose EHR does not offer the service. Direct Secure Messaging is a standard secure protocol which allows the protected medical information exchange between healthcare organizations.
  • LeadingReach. This organization provides referral management solutions to communities and has a small presence in Oregon and Washington. If you are interested in learning more, we suggest scheduling a demo to get a clear idea of the product’s features and advantages. You may reach out to LeadingReach directly at clint@leadingreach.com or visit their website, LeadingReach | Healthcare’s Connected Referral Network.
  • Hospital or Community Solution. We encourage you to contact your local hospital system or CCO. They may have solutions in place or planned that can replace the Reliance eReferrals functionality.

October 1st for the last two months of service.

Pursuant to the Reliance Participation and Data Sharing Agreement section 15.3:

“Destruction of PHI. Unless Reliance gives notice of retention of Protected Health Information under Subsection 15.4, promptly after Reliance has delivered the Member’s Protected Health Information as provided in Subsection 15.2 Reliance shall destroy or provide for the destruction of all Protected Health Information of the Member which it and any Subcontractor maintains and render the media which contains it unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable by use of processes and technologies at least as effective as those specified in the guidance applicable under § 13402(h)(2) of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH Act”) as of the date of disposition, except for Protected Health Information retained by Reliance under Subsection 15.4.”

A report of activity from the platform may be downloaded prior to your termination date. (see line #6 for more information)

  • Share this FAQ
  • Visit this Link to access the guide on how to remove the Reliance eReferral app.

Yes, you can terminate at any time, please provide the customary 60-day notice to the last day of service.

Reliance Help Desk:

Helpdesk@reliancehie.org

(855) 290-5443

To remove the application please contact your IT department or follow the instructions in your packet.

 

In case you did not know:

Please consider accessing the Community Health Record (CHR) to view patient health information that may have been received via the eReferral platform. If you have questions about the CHR please contact Reliance Support.