Small steps to address exchange obstacles

Even as surveys continue to point out the ongoing challenges to health information exchange (HIE), other developments are helping to address those barriers in small steps.

For example, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) will extend free membership for all federal and state government agencies and their corresponding departments as part of its efforts to spur HIE improvements.

All federal and state government agencies and departments will be provided access to WEDI's resources including whitepapers, issue briefs, webinars, networking opportunities, industry best practices and updates on regulatory, legislative and standards changes. Membership also offers the opportunities to influence the direction of health IT policy through WEDI’s Policy Advisory Groups, officials said.

However, a survey of physicians conducted by Doctors Helping Doctors Transform Health Care, found several obstacles keeping them from participating in exchange. Those obstacles includes lack of interoperability between various EHR systems (cited as a major barrier by 71 percent of respondents); lack of infrastructure to support an HIE (71 percent); and the costs of setting up and maintaining interfaces and exchanges (68 percent).

Minor barriers cited included privacy and security concerns, worries about malpractice liability if information isn’t acted on, and concerns about not being able to trust data in the exchange.

How are you and your organization progressing with information exchange? Please share your experience.

Beth Walsh

Editor, Clinical Innovation + Technology