July 6, 2023 | When was the last time you were in a doctor’s office and you saw the doctor write something down on a physical chart? Recording notes electronically has become common in modern medical settings. Many clinicians and facilities rely on electronic medical records, or EMRs, to store important data about your health and well-being. EMRs can contain valuable data about a patient, from diagnoses and test results to immunization records and allergy information. EMRs have eliminated the need to keep paper records, giving health-care workers a more complete window into patient histories and making it possible for patients to receive better care. Electronic health information exchange, or HIE, allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health-care workers to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s vital medical information electronically. HIE typically occurs between one clinician and another or multiple facilities.

July 6, 2023 | Electronic health information exchange is the ability to exchange medical records and other health information electronically among medical professionals and between clinicians and patients. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health, or HITECH Act, provided federal enhanced Medicaid matching funds to states through 2021 to support certain efforts to advance electronic exchange. Nearly all states used these funds, and most have identified other sources to sustain those efforts. Health information exchanges like Arkansas’ State Health Alliance for Records Exchange, better known as SHARE, connect hospitals, physicians, nurses, labs, long-term care entities and others involved in a patient’s care. Having immediate access to a patient’s health information allows health-care professionals to make informed treatment decisions and to coordinate that patient’s care in an efficient and secure way.

July 6, 2023 | Widespread adoption of electronic health information exchange, or HIE, has the potential to improve health care quality and reduce costs. A study released in April by the United States Government Accountability Office found that while the use of HIE has increased in recent years, many small or rural hospitals are not using this option to share medical records with clinicians and other facilities. This may be because smaller hospitals are less likely to have the financial and technical resources to participate in electronic exchange, such as adequate IT staff and sufficient access to broadband internet. The HITECH Act of 2009 provided states with $2.4 billion to improve and advance certain aspects of HIE. The GAO report involved interviews with state agencies in eight states selected based on geographic variation and whether states accessed the HITECH funding for health information exchange, among other factors.

July 6, 2023 | There are three forms of electronic health information exchange, better known as HIE. A directed exchange is used by providers to easily and securely send patient information, such as laboratory orders and results, patient referrals, or discharge summaries, directly to another health care professional. This information is sent over the Internet in an encrypted, secure, and reliable way amongst health care professionals who already know and trust each other, and is commonly compared to sending a secured email. Query-based exchange is used by physicians to search and discover accessible clinical sources on a patient. This type of exchange is often used when delivering unplanned care, such as in an emergency room. Consumer-mediated exchange provides patients with access to their health information, allowing them to manage their health care online in a fashion that’s similar to how they might manage their finances through online banking.

July 6, 2023 | In the past, most patients’ medical information was stored on paper, in filing cabinets in medical offices or in boxes or folders in the patient’s home. The sharing of this information usually occurred by mail or fax or, most likely, by patients carrying their records from appointment to appointment. The introduction of electronic health information exchange, or HIE, has greatly improved the completeness of patients’ records, which can, in turn, improve the level of care the patient receives. The timely sharing of patient information can improve decision making at the point of care and avoid readmissions, avoid medication errors, improve diagnoses and reduce the duplication of medical tests. HIE can also improve the level of communication between medical professionals and each state’s Department of Health for better public health reporting as well as bridge the communication gap between emergency rooms and hospitals and clinicians.