AIM: Many RHIOs face sustainability struggle

Sixty-seven percent of regional health information organizations (RHIOs) surveyed did not meet the criteria for financial viability, according to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Julia Adler-Milstein, PhD candidate at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and colleagues, sought to assess the state of health information exchange (HIE) in the U.S. through RHIOs. The researchers measured the number of operational RHIOs, the subset of operational RHIOs that supported Stage 1 meaningful use and the subset that supported robust HIE. They also measured the number of ambulatory practices and hospitals participating in RHIOs and number of financially viable RHIOs.

Of 197 potential RHIOs, 179 (91 percent) reported their status and 165 (84 percent) returned completed surveys," according to the survey abstract. “Of these, 75 RHIOs were operational, covering approximately 14 percent of U.S. hospitals and 3 percent of ambulatory practices. Thirteen RHIOs supported Stage 1 meaningful use (covering 3 percent of hospitals and 0.9 percent of practices)."

The findings call into question whether RHIOs in their current form can be self-sustaining and effective in helping U.S. physicians and hospitals engage in robust information echange to improve care quality and efficiency, the authors concluded.

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