Surveys show contradictions in HIE performance
Recent surveys about health information exchange (HIE) indicate some contradictory thoughts. For example, satisfaction with HIE vendors is lagging as they struggle to produce the level of interoperability that providers want, according to a KLAS report.
The top objectives for providers with an HIE included improving care coordination, driving change through analytics and reducing costs through increased efficiencies. Asked to rate vendors on their product’s ability to achieve these goals, providers gave them an average score of seven on a scale of one to nine.
According to the eHealth Initiative’s 2012 HIE Survey, sustainable business practice and privacy concerns top the list of priorities for HIEs this year. Respondents also cited lack of funding, their competitive position in the marketplace and technical barriers as top concerns.
Forty percent of respondents are supporting either accountable care organizations (ACOs) or patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). More than 25 percent of respondents plan to support these initiatives in the future.
Despite these challenges, hospitals and healthcare systems are making significant investments in HIE technologies, according to the results of the second annual survey conducted by CapSite.
There has been a significant level of investment in HIE technologies driven, in large part, by the HITECH Act and stimulus dollars, said CapSite found Gino Johnson. Topping the list of those technologies are patient and provider indexes, authentication, XDS/document sharing and record locator systems. About 80 organizations said they recently invested in an index. Johnson also discussed investment in value-added service layers, such as e-prescribing, image viewing, physician portal, patient portal, immunization reporting and personal health records. Nearly 120 participants recently invested in e-prescribing within the context of HIE technology, Johnson said.
Seventy-one percent of respondents said they are planning on investing in new HIE technologies in the next 24 months—just a small drop from last year’s 74 percent. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they do not plan on engaging a consulting firm as part of the HIE planning, 35 percent were unsure and 11 percent said yes.
Is your hospital investing in HIE technology or are concerns about privacy delaying that effort? Please share your experience.
Beth Walsh
bwalsh@trimedmedia.com
Editor, Clinical Innovation + Technology
Editor
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.