Study analysis finds little evidence of HIEs leading to better outcomes, reduced costs

There is little evidence demonstrating that health information exchanges (HIEs) help to reduce costs or improve the quality of care, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and Indiana University analyzed 27 scientific studies that consisted of 94 individual HIE analyses and then determined whether there was a beneficial relationship between the HIE and outcomes for each analysis.

While the study found that about 66 percent of hospitals and almost half of physician practices use some form of HIE to share data with outside organizations, nearly 32 percent of examined analyses reported no significant effect on outcomes. About 57 percent reported some type of outcomes benefit related to HIE but 11 percent reported a negative effect on healthcare outcomes.

The six strongest studies, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experiments, were less likely to associate HIEs with benefits. The authors noted two studies found positive effects, three found no effect and one found negative effects.

"Despite the abundance of observational studies finding a beneficial relationship between HIE and outcomes, there is currently no strong evidence to suggest that HIE is causally related to any widespread generalizable benefits," the authors concluded.

Access the complete study.