HIEs More Than Double Since Last Year

The number of operational health information exchanges has more than doubled to 228 since last year, and of those, private exchanges have increased more rapidly than public organizations for sharing information, according to researcher KLAS. Since last year, functioning public HIEs have expanded to 67 from 37, while private-sector HIEs have surged to 161 from 52.

The slower establishment of public health information exchanges (HIE) may be due in part to government oversight and ensuring long-term funding, according to a KLAS announcement July 7. HIEs enable hospitals, physicians, and clinicians to share patient records in order to coordinate and improve the quality and efficiency of care.

Spurred by the onset of the incentive program for the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) incentive program in the Health and Human Services Department and other elements of healthcare reform, HIEs are now being formed both as private ventures and government-backed initiatives, including the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, which has funded grants to states to establish HIEs, some of which are being deployed soon in Illinois, Maine, Oregon and other states.