Health Information Exchange (HIE)

Outline

Discuss the history of HIE, current challenges, and ways to overcome them. 1. History of HIE a. When did it begin?
The Health Information exchange really took off with the advent of computers and their ability to engage in communicating with one another. The Hartford Foundation initiated community health management information systems through grants to seven states and cities in 1990. The community health management information systems were a community means to healthcare assessment.

2. The Challenge b. How is health information currently exchanged?
There are currently three key forms of health information exchange:
Directed Exchange – ability to send and receive secure information electronically between care providers to support coordinated care
Query-based Exchange – ability for providers to find and/or request information on a patient from other providers, often used for unplanned care
Consumer Mediated Exchange – ability for patients to aggregate and control the use of their health information among providers c. Privacy and security concerns
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' HIPAA requires HIEs to have privacy and security policies and procedures in place to safeguard health information when it is exchange. Privacy and security considerations include the following: * data-sharing agreements among the providers and between the providers and the HIE are all in place. * trust agreements with all HIE participants. These agreements define who can access and change data. All HIE participants must agree to follow the privacy and security policies that govern data protection and use. There are also federal and state laws regarding who can access data. Audits should be continuously performed to monitor data access. * permission controls and