All large hospitals in Colo. participating in HIE

All Colorado hospitals with more than 100 licensed beds have connected or are in the process of connecting to the state’s health information exchange (HIE), according to the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO). The announcement followed an agreement reached between Exempla Healthcare, operator of three hospitals, and the exchange.

Specifically, 29 hospitals are connected to the CORHIO HIE and 15 more are in the process of linking up to the exchange. In addition to hospitals, there are more than 1,800 office-based physicians, 100 long-term and post-acute care facilities, 13 behavioral health centers and five national/regional medical laboratories either connected or in the process of connecting to the CORHIO HIE. A full list of participants is here.

Hospitals participating in the CORHIO HIE share patient information, such as hospital discharge notifications, lab test results, x-ray, MRI and other imaging reports and physician transcription reports, with community-based providers across the state, according to the release.

"Hospital leaders across Colorado recognize that a statewide HIE network is key to delivering high-quality healthcare in the twenty-first century," said Larry Wolk, MD, CEO at CORHIO, in a statement. "Allowing clinical information to be shared among all of a patient's healthcare providers, regardless of their affiliation, allows for the elimination of unnecessary, duplicative testing as well as a reduction in avoidable hospital readmissions, making the process of getting good healthcare much less cumbersome."