Big Sky Care Connect – Montana’s Health Information Exchange

The Big Sky Care Connect (BSCC) health information exchange (HIE) aggregates, stores, and normalizes data from multiple sources to present one unified health record per patient. The HIE solution also includes Master Patient Index (MPI) processing. The HIE enables bi-directional exchange of information between BSCC participants and partners using national standards for connectivity and data, including IHE, XDS, HL7, FHIR and eHealth exchange. BSCC also offers a portal viewer for participating providers to access the consolidated clinical data through a view only secure web-based portal.

Core Services

Comprehensive Patient Record

BSCC receives data from health systems, hospitals, clinics, behavioral health facilities, FQHCs, and other providers across Montana creating a consolidated and comprehensive record. Data is sent to the HIE as patients receive care so all providers have immediate access. Access to the most up-to-date record is vital for providers to treat the whole patient and address their specific needs.

Medication History

The medication history service offers an aggregated list of prescribed and dispensed medication data at the point of care. Through BSCC’s partnership with DrFirst, the patient care team has access to comprehensive medication information to enable more informed care decisions and prevent adverse events.

Patient Event Notifications

Notifications are generated when the patient experiences a significant event such as a hospital admission, discharge or visit to the Emergency Department. Any member of the patient’s care team can subscribe to notifications so that proactive interventions can occur as these events happen.

Direct Secure Messaging

Direct secure messaging (DSM) is a standardized way of exchanging health information securely over the internet. Similar to email, but more secure – direct messages are authenticated and encrypted to ensure sensitive data is sent and received by authorized parties only.

Add on Services

ED Alerts*

The BSCC ED alerts service is supported by our partnership with Collective Medical to deliver ADT-based alerts for real-time care collaboration in hospital emergency departments. ED alerts feature a bi-directional EHR integration that receives real-time ADT and continuity of care (CCD) information from care entities across the State. This gives the ED provider relevant patient information regarding security and safety concerns, care history, recent encounters, and the patient’s care team.

*indicates an additional fee

Access Options

Provider Portal

The provider portal allows direct access into the health information exchange (HIE) using standard browser technology. Users can search for patients by medical record number (MRN) or demographic information to view the HIE patient record.

Single Sign-On

Single sign-on (SSO) technology embeds HIE access within a participant’s local electronic health record (EHR). With one click, users can access the HIE from within the EHR patient record – the user is automatically logged in and the patient’s HIE record is displayed making the HIE an extension of their EHR.

Direct Query

Direct query allows participants to set up automatic queries from their EHR using Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) transaction standards. Providers do not login into the HIE with this option. Instead, patient data is automatically pulled from the HIE when the user opens the patient record in their EHR.