All Colorado hospitals with more than 100 licensed beds have connected or are in the process to connect to a health information exchange (HIE) network, after the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) inked its most recent HIE contract with Exempla Healthcare in Denver.

According to CORHIO officials, 29 hospitals are connected to the CORHIO HIE and 15 more are in process to connect—a total of 44 hospitals in all. In addition to hospitals, there are more than 1,800 office-based physicians, 100 long-term and post-acute care facilities, 13 behavioral health centers and five national/regional medical laboratories either connected or in process to connect to the CORHIO HIE.

Exempla Healthcare, an affiliate of SCL Health System, operates three hospitals in Colorado: Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, and Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. All three will connect to the CORHIO HIE as a result of the agreement.

Hospitals participating in the CORHIO HIE share vital patient information, such as hospital discharge notifications, lab test results, x-ray, MRI and other imaging reports and physician transcription reports, with community-based providers across the state. This ultimately results in patients getting more appropriate treatment, recovering from illnesses and surgeries more quickly, and being healthier overall, said CORHIO officials.