KLAS: Don't believe the HIE hype
Only a relatively small number of vendors are able to claim a proven, repeatable health information exchange (HIE) model, according to a report from KLAS, a healthcare market research firm. In total, the report highlights the commercial HIE models from 22 vendors, most of which have one, two or three validated sites.
The Orem, Utah-based KLAS validated 89 live HIE organizations that use commercial technologies to share patient data that is being viewed by doctors. All of the HIEs included in the study had to be exchanging data among facilities that are not owned by the same organization, KLAS stated.
Providers reported a number of administrative challenges they encountered deploying an HIE, according to KLAS. Topping that list of challenges were health IT governance concerns regarding privacy, security and patient consent, as well as the financial viability and sustainability of the HIE although KLAS found that among its 89 validated sites, more than 70 percent are funded with state or federal grants.
For acute-to-acute HIEs where two or more hospitals or health systems are sharing patient data, software vendor Axolotl has the most live HIE clients with seven live acute-to-acute HIE organizations using Axolotl technology, KLAS reported. Flexible technology and the expertise of its staff with the HIE process were cited as key reasons for selecting Axolotl by providers.
Epic also had seven validated acute-to-acute sites. However, Epic's Care Everywhere product currently only connects Epic software customers, said KLAS.
Among acute-to-ambulatory HIEs, where at least one hospital or health system is sharing data with a clinic, lab or other ambulatory facility, Medicity’s Novo Grid led the study with 22 live sites, according to the report. According to KLAS, The application typically funnels results from hospital and reference labs to ambulatory sites. The applications simplicity and efficiency was cited by providers for the reasons for adoption in the report. RelayHealth also had a relatively strong showing in the acute-to-ambulatory space, with eight validated live HIE organizations using its technology, the report stated.
“It’s no great surprise that, so far, the most successful HIEs are those with the least complex approaches,” concluded Jason Hess, KLAS general manager of clinical research and author of the HIE report. “The eclectic way that clinical information is structured, stored, labeled and shipped makes it very difficult for vendors to connect all of the discreet data elements.”
The Orem, Utah-based KLAS validated 89 live HIE organizations that use commercial technologies to share patient data that is being viewed by doctors. All of the HIEs included in the study had to be exchanging data among facilities that are not owned by the same organization, KLAS stated.
Providers reported a number of administrative challenges they encountered deploying an HIE, according to KLAS. Topping that list of challenges were health IT governance concerns regarding privacy, security and patient consent, as well as the financial viability and sustainability of the HIE although KLAS found that among its 89 validated sites, more than 70 percent are funded with state or federal grants.
For acute-to-acute HIEs where two or more hospitals or health systems are sharing patient data, software vendor Axolotl has the most live HIE clients with seven live acute-to-acute HIE organizations using Axolotl technology, KLAS reported. Flexible technology and the expertise of its staff with the HIE process were cited as key reasons for selecting Axolotl by providers.
Epic also had seven validated acute-to-acute sites. However, Epic's Care Everywhere product currently only connects Epic software customers, said KLAS.
Among acute-to-ambulatory HIEs, where at least one hospital or health system is sharing data with a clinic, lab or other ambulatory facility, Medicity’s Novo Grid led the study with 22 live sites, according to the report. According to KLAS, The application typically funnels results from hospital and reference labs to ambulatory sites. The applications simplicity and efficiency was cited by providers for the reasons for adoption in the report. RelayHealth also had a relatively strong showing in the acute-to-ambulatory space, with eight validated live HIE organizations using its technology, the report stated.
“It’s no great surprise that, so far, the most successful HIEs are those with the least complex approaches,” concluded Jason Hess, KLAS general manager of clinical research and author of the HIE report. “The eclectic way that clinical information is structured, stored, labeled and shipped makes it very difficult for vendors to connect all of the discreet data elements.”