Health information exchange is the action of sharing relevant health information electronically among trusted clinical partners regardless of physical location. The information sharing can be about a single patient to enhance the care of that patient. Or, the information can be about a group of patients for the purposes of public health tracking and improvement.
Deeper dive
For providers who have already adopted electronic health records, HIE enables them to share EHRs and “talk” to one another over a secure network that protects patient privacy and data integrity. However, HIE can happen with paper records as well. HIE can help with a broad array of care quality and provider workflow concerns, including referrals and discharges; lab and radiology orders and results; redundant testing; medication management; analytics and reporting to health agencies; chronic disease management; and paperwork. HIE can also help patient engagement and patient satisfaction.The federal meaningful use program incorporates HIE, requiring providers to engage in some HIE as part of Stage 2 certification. Stage 3 of meaningful use requires even more robust HIE capabilities. A list of HIEs that have received federal funding can be found on an AHCJ HIE tipsheet.