MetroChicago HIE launch expected in early 2014

Thirty-four Chicago-area hospitals are poised to link up to the city’s new health information exchange (HIE), set to launch in early 2014, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Led by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, MetroChicago HIE will facilitate the real-time exchange of patient data among hospitals and providers, and eventually patients themselves. The council hired Sandlot Solutions of Ft. Worth, Texas to host the exchange.

Participating hospitals include 10 owned by Advocate Health Care, 10 by Presence Health, four by Sinai Health System, three by Rush and two each by Centegra Health System and Franciscan St. James Health. Three independent safety-net hospitals also will participate in the exchange, according to the article.

An additional 20 to 30 other providers are slated to join by next summer and state officials hope that the area’s 89 hospitals all will link up. Skilled nursing centers and long-term care facilities also are expected to join, according to the Tribute.