The Denver-based Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (COHRIO), a non-profit organization dedicated to rolling out the statewide health information exchange (HIE), announced that it has gotten all six northern Colorado hospitals connected to its HIE. On a state level, there are currently 27 hospitals, over 290 office-based providers, 29 long-term and post-acute care facilities and two behavioral health centers connected to the CORHIO HIE.

A few moves allowed for this recent expansion to happen. UCHealth health system was formed from a partnership between Poudre Valley Health System and the University of Colorado Hospital. Memorial Health in Colorado Springs recently joined UCHealth, and Banner Health, which is based in Phoenix, connected its four Colorado hospitals to the HIE.

"Banner Health and University of Colorado Health are great examples of hospital systems with strong leadership that are willing to make investments in information technology that improve the care of the communities they serve," Larry Wolk, M.D., CORHIO's chief executive officer said in a statement. "Every time a hospital or medical clinic connects to the HIE, they are making a positive impact on the quality of health care in their community. And with each provider we add to the network, we're one step closer to achieving our goal of providing safer, more efficient and effective health care for Coloradans."