HIE’s

Here’s a look around America  by MedPage Today at how health-information exchanges (HIEs) — some regional,some statewide — “help clinicians avoid productivity-sapping phone calls and faxes, and meet some challenging Meaningful Use requirements.”

It notes that “the forces that are making these HIEs essential include streamlining workflow utilizing Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise’s EHR-to-EHR integration and Direct secure messaging connectivity built into meaningful use–compliant EHR software, exchanging summaries of care when EHR integration is not yet present, and responding to business pressures such as accountable care.”

But one observer noted:

“The payers and the state are really critical, because the HIE doesn’t have an automatic business case. In fact, a lot of people, including some imaging centers and hospitals, don’t want to see it succeed, because sequestering data makes their lives easier and more financially productive.”