Health Information Exchanges
What's an HIE?
Health information exchange (“HIE”) is defined as the mobilization
of healthcare information electronically across organizations within
a region or community.
HIE provides the capability to electronically move clinical
information between disparate healthcare information systems while
maintaining the meaning of the information being exchanged. The goal
of HIE is to facilitate access to and retrieval of clinical data to
provide safer, more timely, efficient, effective, equitable,
patient-centered care.
Formal organizations are now emerging to provide both form and
function for health information exchange efforts. These
organizations (often called “Regional Health Information
Organizations”, or “RHIOs”) are ordinarily geographically-defined
entities which develop and manage a set of contractual conventions
and terms, arrange for the means of electronic exchange of
information, and develop and maintain HIE standards.
Health Information Exchanges are being built across the
country.
Although HIE initiatives may differ in a number of ways, survey
results and
experience indicate that those
who with the most success share the following characteristics. They:
- Are governed by a diverse and broad set of community stakeholders;
- Develop and assure adherence to a common set of principles and standards for the technical and policy aspects of information sharing, addressing the needs of every stakeholder;
- Develop and implement a technical infrastructure based on national standards to facilitate interoperability;
- Develop and maintain a model for sustainability that aligns the costs with the benefits related to HIE; and
- Use metrics to measure performance from the perspective of: patient care, public health, provider value, and economic value.
Source: eHealth Initiative, Second Annual Survey of State, Regional and Community-based Health Information Exchange Initiatives and Organizations, August, 2005
