Report: 75% of providers to purchase HIE tools soon

Seventy-five percent of hospitals plan to purchase new health information exchange (HIE) tools, according to a new report from healthcare technology research and advisory firm CapSite. The largest group of respondents plan to purchase this technology in 12 to 24 months.

According to the Williston, Vt.-based company, 16 percent of hospitals plan to engage a professional services/consulting firm as part of their HIE strategic planning or vendor selection process. Thirty-seven percent are unsure at this time while 47 percent responded in a negative manner.

CapSite studied 356 participants, wherein 95 percent were hospitals or hospital systems, 2 percent regional HIEs, 1 percent state HIEs and 2 percent categorized as other. Most respondents (200) were under 200 beds.

According to the report, 47 percent of respondents are not currently part of an HIE but plan to join. Twenty-one percent are not part of an HIE nor have any interest to become part of one while 32 percent are part of an HIE at this time.

While being able to select multiple options, most recently invested in a master patient index/patient and provider indexes between 2009-2011 for core infrastructures. For value-added services in the same time frame, most invested in e-prescribing technologies, followed by immunization reporting. On connectivity investments, most went with results reporting/delivery services.

The largest group of respondents selected their current primary HIE vendor in 2011.

While the top dog in the vendor space, according to the report, was a hodgepodge of “other” technologies including tools from Orion Health, Medseek and Covisint, the next largest vendor to take the lead to the question “who is your primary HIE vendor” was Medicity holding at 12 percent.

A little under the majority of respondents (48 percent) stated the primary driver to join an HIE was to improve efficiency of information required for meaningful use, followed by the drive to connect to the community (21 percent).

Sixty-five percent of respondents were unsure of whether they planned on participating in an accountable care organization, the report added.

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