Michigan HIEs merge to serve 5M patients
Two Michigan health information exchanges (HIEs) have merged to form one of the largest HIEs in the country, serving more than 5 million people.
Michigan Health Connect and Great Lakes Health Information Exchange have merged to form Great Lakes Health Connect. Participants of the newly merged organization cover more than 80 percent of the hospital beds in the state and include more than 20,000 independent and employed providers serving over half the state’s 10 million people, more than any HIE in the state and more than most in the country, according to information on the new organization's website.
“Michigan Health Connect and the Great Lakes Health Information Exchange recognized that our missions were essentially the same and that we could better achieve our vision for a healthier Michigan together, rather than independently,” said Brian McCardel, MD, orthopedic surgeon and chairman of the Great Lakes Health Information Exchange Board of Directors.
“We look forward to advancing an integrated platform of services across the state and making Michigan a leader in the nationwide move to health information exchange and improved health status,” said Patrick O’Hare, chairman of the Michigan Health Connect Board of Directors.
Michigan Health Connect and Great Lakes Health Information Exchange in January announced a Letter of Intent to pursue a merger. Their boards voted to approve the merger in May and the merger was finalized July 1.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.