Health Information Exchange (HIE)

The CommonWell Health Alliance and Carequality announced Dec. 13 they will be collaborating on efforts to boost data sharing among healthcare providers nationwide, committing to work together on advancing interoperability.

Launching a patient portal is only step one, says HIMSS17 expert Jan Oldenburg. Empowering patients with the skills and technology to become partners in their own health takes much more than that. 

The hospital worked with its technology vendors to drive better internal interoperability; it also was applauded for advance use of RFID for medication dispensing.

The provider tapped an EHR-based care management tool to cut readmissions by 30 percent, HIMSS said.

The state has already achieved a marked increase in people using its patient portal and HIE. One big surprise: Its most active patients turned out to be the ones widely considered least interested in technology. 

The HIE will use the tool to more systematically share data across its various provider organizations. 

'This is kind of an area where we've been moving each year since we adopted the electronic medical records,' said Major League Baseball's chief legal officer, following suspension of Padres' GM Preller.

Survey responses range from massive disruption to more competitive markets. Hospital leaders are hoping that prices go down but alternative payment models MACRA, MIPS and the Medicare Shared Savings Program remain. 

In its annual report to Congress, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT touts widespread EHR usage and an increase in health information exchange. But the agency says there's still work do be done to make true interoperability a success.  

The prize recognizes technological research and innovation in informatics.