What is the Primary Focus of Health Information Exchange Initiatives?

Increasingly, health information exchange efforts are exchanging clinical data.
Overall, the percentage of health information exchange initiatives exchanging data is on the rise with 34 percent of 2007 respondents currently exchanging laboratory data and 32 percent exchanging data related to outpatient episodes, up from 26 percent and 21 percent respectively, in 2006. Exchange of emergency department episodes, inpatient episodes, outpatient laboratory results, and radiology results are also up from 2006, with 30 percent, 28 percent, 28 percent, and 26 percent, respectively, offering these services in 2007.

Supporting direct care delivery continues to be the focus of health information exchange efforts, but providing population health related services continues to be an emphasis for some—particularly more advanced stage initiatives.
Twenty-nine percent of 2007 respondents provide “results delivery” services to the users of the health information exchange initiative—up from 25 percent in 2006, while 25 percent offer clinical documentation services, and 21 percent offer enrollment or eligibility checking services. At the same time 16 percent of 2007 survey respondents are offering chronic care management services, while 11 percent are offering quality improvement reporting to clinicians.

Health information exchange initiatives are increasingly adding support functions to augment data services.
The percentage of health information exchange initiatives offering additional support services is slightly up, across the board, in 2007, with 33 percent supporting practicing clinicians with adoption of electronic health records, 32 percent currently offering a help desk function, 30 percent supporting practicing clinicians with work-flow analyses; 22 percent providing implementation guides, and 19 percent supporting quality improvement or performance reporting for purchasers or payers.