Large health systems and their IT vendors are creating private information exchange networks at a time when federally funded state operations are gearing up for launch. Is there room for private and public offerings in the new HIE marketplace?

摘要

MANY STATE LEVEL health information exchanges (HIEs) are on the brink of launching, but some health IT vendors claim that they are already obsolete.More than half a billion dollars has been spent by the federal government to set up state-level health information exchanges. These HIEs are tasked with facilitating the transfer of health data between disparate providers both within and across state lines.But progress has been slow since the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program funneled $548 million to 56 states, territories, and state-designated entity HIE startups in 2010. Many of the HIEs are still developing their sus-tainability plans and preparing to launch, relying solely on the government grants that run out in just a few short years.However, a mix of forces are driving providers to seek ways to exchange health information now. Instead of waiting for state HIEs to develop, some larger health systems have begun contracting with IT vendors to develop their own systems, focused on exchanging information among its own facilities and select outside partners.