HIM 650 Analysis of Health Information Exchange (HIE) Essay
Investment in health information technology must include health information exchange since it lowers costs, improves patient happiness, and raises standards of care throughout an organization in a community, region, and hospitals. Technology and communication are used in the health information exchange (HIE) process to communicate information. HIE enables quick and safe access to clinical data to support the delivery of high-quality care to patients. Organizations responsible for public health use HIE data to examine the health of various populations under their jurisdiction (Elson et al., 2021). Depending on their needs and requirements, organizations and state agencies can construct HIE systems in a variety of methods. Direct, public, private, and vendor-based interoperability are the four main types of HIE. The main goal of this essay is to contrast the HIEs in California with those in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, as well as three other states.
Health Information Exchange for California (HIE)
Elson et al. (2021) claim in their issue brief that the emergence of the Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic made it necessary for improved information exchange among providers to improve quality care and accessibility. The authors note that various stakeholders in California engage in data sharing activities across four different types of networks. These networks include whole-person data exchange networks, specialized data exchange networks, HIO-centered clinical data exchange networks, and EHR-centered clinical data exchange networks. However, a key element of the state’s plan for inter-organizational, statewide health information exchange is the California Trusted Exchange Network (CTEN).
The exchange creates a reliable setting for the safe and secure sharing of health information by combining a multiparty data sharing code, a standard set of standards and procedures, and a minimal technical infrastructure. As a result, there is no state-controlled entity in California that organizes the sharing of health information among institutions, systems, and providers (CAHIE, 2021). In comparison to national networks, CTEN is designed to increase efficiency and be more nimble and versatile while still remaining compatible with them. The California Department of Health Care Services is one of the partners in the network that can set the procedures and technical requirements to be followed while exchanging health information.
Comparative Analysis with Other States
The exchange of health information is approached differently in different states (HIE). A state-level network for exchanging health
information for Texas is the Texas Health Service Authority. Both private and governmental health organizations are covered by the authority. The Texas Health and Safety Code was created by the state to implement its comprehensive HIE plan. In order to improve and ease patient interoperability, the state’s HIE is a helpful tool for working with other adjacent states (HealthIT.gov, 2019). Texas, like other states, receives funds through the HIE Cooperative Agreement Program to increase its capacity for information exchange across the healthcare system both inside and outside the state’s borders. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was passed in order to make it possible for providers to safely share data across various infrastructural frameworks (HealthIT.gov, 2020). Information sharing improves coordination, consumer control, and the capacity to communicate with service providers.
Louisiana offers a network that enables health care professionals to securely communicate data across state boundaries, similar to California and Texas. Louisiana Information Exchange is the name of the network (LaHIE). The system can be accessed by emergency rooms, inpatient hospitals, general care settings, and ambulatory clinics. For its users, the LaHIE provides encrypted communications services, patient and clinical portals, and public health reporting (LaHIE, n.d.). To acquire patients’ medical histories and avoid double reporting, the system allows convenient, automatic cross-referencing.
Florida’s HIE is governed by the Agency for Health Care Administration. The agency is also in charge of creating policies, gathering stakeholders, and providing oversight. Additionally, it promotes the advantages of health information technology and involves federal partners. The encounter notification service (ENS), direct messaging services (DMS), and eHealth exchange are among the services provided by Florida HIE (HealthIT.gov, 2020). While eHealth exchange promotes the sharing of clinical data using common standards and criteria, the DMS offers a safe platform for businesses and providers to share health information over the Internet.
Providers and government organizations in Maryland and the District of Columbia use a non-profit system to exchange health data. In order to improve the sharing of health information, John Hopkins Medicine, MedStar Health, the University of Maryland, and the Erickson Retirement Communities have joined forces to develop the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP), a multi-organizational platform. Hospitals and other providers are securely connected by the CRISP to share health information (CRISP, 2021). Organizations can easily share patient data via the platform with others so they can make important healthcare decisions. When patients use the system to visit hospitals, providers are also notified. These technologies show how efficient health information interchange boosts interoperability and providers’ ability to deliver high-quality patient care.
Care Coordination
Care coordination between providers and organizations can benefit greatly from participation in HIE. By ensuring that everyone involved in patient care has quick access to crucial information to help them make better decisions, HIE enhances coordination. Every healthcare facility benefits from the HIE system’s ability to prevent errors. Reminders for patient appointments and follow-up instructions are essential elements of effective care delivery. HIE enables quick access to medical history and helps patients save time filling out paperwork. They make it possible for people to see their doctors more frequently (Elson et al., 2021). Along the whole care continuum, efficient care coordination helps doctors and other providers save time.
Public Health Programs
Data and HIE are essential for public health organizations at the state and federal levels to improve care accessible for specific clinical and demographic populations. HIE can construct longitudinal descriptions of patient care and diseases based on patients’ medical histories and treatment interventions by drawing from data created and kept in various health organizations. HIE data reflects how many communities, people, and health populations use and experience healthcare (Wager et al., 2021). Multiple data sources give public health agencies more benefits since they can create programs to record various facets of population health to enhance overall results. Benefits of HIE include improved disease surveillance, disaster response and management, and healthcare services, among other public health programs and methods.
Research Based on Evidence
In order to establish inferences and conclusions regarding the phenomena being studied, evidence-based research needs a significant amount of data and information. Clinically meaningful and cross-institutional data from HIE systems are essential for evidence-based research (Wager et al., 2021). Data from electronic health records (EHRs) are one example of how research is improved by their availability. The HIE components in organizations include EHR data. Initiatives to improve patient care show the expanded role of HIE in various care settings across organizations (Elson et al., 2021). Patient health information and data are secure and protected from any unauthorized access thanks to the current security measures based on laws like HITECH and HIPAA. The importance of HIE in research for organizations is demonstrated by the potential for study participants, the incorporation of EBP findings into care, and the enhanced generalization of the results.
Conclusion
Health information exchange (HIE) improves interoperability, quality of treatment, access to care, and sharing of crucial patient health data to make better clinical and care decisions at the hospital, state, regional, and national levels. The study demonstrates that many states use distinctive HIEs for information sharing both within and outside of their borders. The systems in the states up for evaluation vary, but they all aim to improve access and quality of care for patients and other stakeholders.