The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added five new frequently asked questions related to health information exchange (HIE) and public health reporting requirements under the EHR Meaningful Use program, and updated an existing FAQ.

In a panel discussion on health information exchange during the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ eHealth Summit, one participant pointed out the importance of realizing these are culture transformation projects. Leaders must “not just watch milestones go by” but foster real engagement and transformation of organizations and cultures, said Hunt Blair, principal advisor of state HIT-enabled care transformation for the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT.

Houston, Texas, July 31, 2013 -- Seeking to improve coordination and quality of care, Quest Diagnostics is working with Greater Houston Healthconnect to make laboratory results and records available quickly in electronic format to all connected providers in the region. This will enable practitioners caring for the patient, including the original provider who ordered the test and follow-up caregivers, access to lab values. This will in some cases allow providers to better diagnose, treat, and possibly reduce the need for secondary tests. This is especially helpful for patients who see multiple specialists or are making transitions of care between facilities. Physicians will also be able to order their lab tests and receive results directly into their EMR system through this partnership. Quest Diagnostics is the first major reference lab to collaborate with the region’s health information network, which serves 20 counties.

Little Rock, AR, July 30, 2013 -- The Arkansas Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) has partnered with Get Real Health and negotiated a new pricing model to provide Get Real Health’s award-winning patient portal and personal health record (PHR) to Arkansas healthcare providers that participate in the statewide health information exchange (HIE) known as SHARE (State Health Alliance for Records Exchange). The decision makes it easy for Arkansas healthcare organizations of all sizes to meet key patient engagement criteria for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program “Meaningful Use” Stage 2 mandates.

DENVER, July 24, 2013 -- CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, and Craig Hospital announced today that the specialty hospital is now participating in CORHIO's secure health information exchange (HIE) network. Denver-based Craig Hospital is world-renowned as a premier center for specialty rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Through the HIE connection, patients who are being transferred from another participating Colorado acute care hospital to Craig Hospital will have smoother transitions and be at lower risk for complications, because the details of their electronic medical records will immediately follow them as they transition facilities.

EAST LANSING, Mich., July 18, 2013  -- Great Lakes Health Information Exchange (GLHIE) has launched an immunization gateway, the first in the State of Michigan to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's requirements for real-time electronic submissions and acknowledgements as mandated by the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR).

All Colorado hospitals with more than 100 licensed beds have connected or are in the process of connecting to the state’s health information exchange, according to the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization. The announcement followed an agreement reached between Exempla Healthcare, operator of three hospitals, and the exchange.

The Children’s Care Alliance (CCA) is creating a health information exchange (HIE)—branded as Virtual Health Village—for underserved children in the Lehigh Valley area of northeastern Pennsylvania.