Dramatic advances in telecommunications and information management technologies have substantially transformed American culture and many industries, but healthcare has materially lagged other sectors in adopting these new technologies.  U.S. healthcare still relies on antiquated methods of recording, storing and sharing information, leading to many of the now well-documented problems in care coordination, quality and patient safety.  Improving healthcare quality and care coordination requires that care-related information flow rapidly and securely between and among physician and other healthcare provider offices, hospitals, and other settings of care.  To achieve this will require widespread adoption of electronic Health Information Exchange (HIE).

To facilitate the adoption of HIE and help address the need for EHRs to “talk with each other”, the California Health eQuality (CHeQ) program in UCD’s Institute for Population Health Improvement (IPHI), has produced this HIE Ready Buyers’ Guide to identify interoperability and interface features that should be in place to support healthcare data exchange today.

This Buyers’ Guide will help physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers make informed choices when discussing HIE capabilities with EHR vendors or HIOs.  It allows purchasers to make side-by-side comparisons of important HIE features based on commonly accepted interoperability and interface standards embedded in the EHRs of those entities that participate in HIE Ready.  The Guide also provides information on how well an HIO supports those same standards.

Access a complete copy of the Guide and additional resources, and/or contact iphi@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu for additional information.

How to Participate

Providers:  If your EHR vendor is not participating in HIE Ready, ask them to join today.  You have the right to know what HIE capabilities your vendor offers and how much it will cost to implement them.
Vendors:  Interoperability is essential to local, regiona,l and national HIE and these features are quickly becoming a competitive advantage.  By participating in HIE Ready you will assure that customers understand your EHR’s capabilities for HIE and won’t be surprised by associated costs.
HIOs:  You have the challenging responsibility to create a governance, legal, technical, and trust environment that supports reliable and affordable HIE.  By participating in HIE Ready you can help to inform local providers of your capabilities alongside those of their EHR vendors.

Additional Resources

• HIE Ready Background
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Memorandum of Understanding and Exhibits for ambulatory EHR vendors, hospital EHR vendors, and Health Information Organizations