Study finds dramatic increase in operational HIEs
eHealth Initiative, an affiliation of organizations devoted to improving the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare through information technology, released its 2009 survey on Health Information Exchange (HIE), titled "Migrating Toward Meaningful Use: The State of Health Information Exchange."
The survey found many positive trends in the expansion of HIE's in the United States, including:
- the number of operational HIE initiatives (e.g., exchanges transmitting live data among stakeholders) has increased by nearly 40% since 2008;
- positive impact on physician practices by improving efficiency without disrupting care (e.g., quicker access to test results, reduced staff time spent searching for results and performing other administrative functions);
- reduction in costs associated with, inter alia, reduced staff time spent on searching for test results and performing other clerical functions, as well as reduction in duplicate tests and medical errors; and
- steadily growing number of initiatives are exchanging data, with almost universal increases in the type of data exchanged.
The survey also found that "initiatives identified 'addressing privacy and confidentiality issues' as the most pressing challenge they face, surpassing 'developing a sustainable business model'."
eHealth Initiative's press release, which includes a more detailed summary of the survey, can be found here.
"Migrating Toward Meaningful Use: The State of Health Information Exchange," eHealth Initiative Study (July 22, 2009).
