Health information exchanges (HIEs) play a pivotal role in health care today. HIEs are responsible for the transmission of healthcare-related data among facilities, health information organizations (HIO) and government agencies according to national standards. It’s good news, then, that 19 HIEs have joined forces to launch the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative, a new trade association for HIEs, to better serve as one voice on policy issues and promote better business models.
According to HealthData Management, members are hitting the ground running with joint initiatives, including insurance reporting.
The SHIEC, as it is known, aims to “take advantage of economies of scale and form joint ventures, create education and awareness programs, and support sustainability.”
Additional members are being sought, with annual dues of $5,000, but valuation is expected to change as the organization grows.
According to the SHIEC website, the purpose of the organization is to promote the improvement of business conditions for and the sustainability of health information exchanges, educate public and private entities as to the benefits, functions and roles of health information exchanges in general, and influencing legislation as it pertains to Corporation members.
HIE technology as it pertains to data management must be secure; the transfer of data among diverse systems must be dependable and safe. The purpose of HIE development is to improve healthcare delivery and information gathering, and SHIEC aims to accomplish just that as one unified voice.
HIEs allow doctors to share relevant information about patients and improve their overall care, and the general consensus is that HIEs will have a positive impact on health care.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson