"HIE is defined as the electronic transfer of clinical and/or administrative
information across diverse and often competing health care organizations.
In practice, the term HIE is often used both as a verb and a noun."-- Health Information Exchange (2016), Edited by Brian E. Dixon, Page 5
As stated in the quote above an HIE, or Health Information Exchange, facilitates the electronic transfer of clinical and/or administrative information such as between electronic health records (EHR) and laboratory information systems (LIMS), or a pharmacy information system and an EHR.
Different forms of HIE1:
HIE Type | Definition |
---|---|
Private | An interconnected affiliate-based health system, where exchange only occurs within a membership group (e.g. hospitals, physician practices, nursing homes, and some public health clinics operating as part of a larger corporation or 'health system'). |
Community-based | Exchange of data and information among providers that may be marketplace competitors or otherwise unaffiliated (e.g. academic medical center, large hospital system, group of federally qualified health centers). Competitors recognize that they are better served through HIE because of patient crossover, which can lead to repeating tests and procedures for patients receiving uncompensated care. |
Government-facilitated | State governments or other publicly funded organizations acting as either a statewide HIO (Health Information Organization) or primary facilitator of HIE within state boundaries. Unique in that they typically operate at a technical level that supports a "network of networks". |
Vendor-facilitated | A hybrid between Government-facilitated and Community-based HIE. |
1 Health Information Exchange (2016), Edited by Brian E. Dixon, Pages 6-8.