Making progress

In the past month, headlines have indicated expansion of existing HIEs, increased rates of information exchange and rivals coming together to drive exchange.

During the most recent Health IT Policy Committee meeting, Michelle Consolazio, health IT policy analyst at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, said hospital participation in the exchange of health information has grown significantly since 2008.

Consolazio presented survey research into overall trends and patterns of information exchange among office-based physicians and hospitals during 2013—prior to Meaningful Use Stage 2.

During this time, 40-50 percent of hospitals had the capability to query and send secure messages, with 51 percent able to query patient health information electronically and 41 percent able to send and receive secure messages with patient information to and from external sources, she said.

On the other hand, there is room for improvement as physician exchange activity with outside providers was limited in 2013, she said. Of every 10 physicians, four exchanged data electronically but the exchange of health information with an outside health system was limited. The majority of physicians reported benefits of exchange, especially in the areas of efficiency and quality of care, although many cited issues with multiple portals or systems and high costs.

But progress is progress and I think most of the healthcare industry welcomes both the existing exchange and efforts to drive more.

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor