National eHealth Collaborative's HIE Learning Network Presents Potential Solutions to HIE Issues

Economic pressures, health reform, and a healthcare system that is transitioning from “pay for volume” to “pay for value” are driving the establishment of new payment and delivery models and HIE will be a critical foundation of these new models. The NeHC HIE Learning Network workgroup on HIE Functions to Support New Payment and Delivery Models recommends that in addition to providing basic, but critical, care coordination services (e.g., results delivery, continuity of care summaries, immunization reporting), HIEs should be prepared to provide analytic tools, including business intelligence and comparative analytics, and to develop the infrastructure necessary to perform quality reporting and referral processing. The workgroup has also outlined a set of characteristics and actions that are necessary for HIEs seeking to support new models. Some of these characteristics include a focus on providing timely, usable and valuable data that can drive decision making and behavior change; open, transparent and trustworthy governance that encourages competitors to share data; services that are patient-centered and easy for providers; and serving as a collaborator to bring together broad stakeholder groups involved in exchanging both clinical and non-clinical data to support whole patient care.

“HIE is a critical component to transform healthcare.  New payment and delivery models are still evolving, as is the role of HIEs in supporting them.  That said, the New Models workgroup believes HIEs can be an important enabler of healthcare transformation,” says Jeri Kirschner, Federal Health Liaison, Orion Health and Co-Chair, NeHC HIE Learning Network workgroup on HIE Functions to Support New Payment and Delivery Models.

“Health information exchange can improve healthcare quality and help to contain costs— something our health system is under enormous pressure to achieve. Progress is being made to bring successful widespread HIE and all of its benefits to providers and patients nationwide, but challenges remain. The NeHC HIE Learning Network has worked collaboratively to tackle tough issues and develop solutions that we hope will continue to advance HIE,” according to NeHC CEO Kate Berry.