HHS Releases Results of Study Finding Health Information Exchange Growing Through EHR Adoption

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released the results of a study conducted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) finding that health information exchange (HIE) between hospitals and other providers increased by 41 percent between 2008 and 2012.  The study found that 6 out of 10 hospitals actively exchanged health information with outside providers and other hospitals in 2012.  The underlying research suggested that HIE is enabled by electronic health records (EHRs) and health information organizations (HIOs).  Use of HIE to enhance care quality and safety is further facilitated by Stage 2 Meaningful Use, which requires eligible hospitals to exchange information with organizations using different EHR systems and to share summary of care records during transitions of care.

The HHS release on the study finding growth of HIE through EHR adoption can be found by clicking here.

Department of Health and Human Services.  “Data Exchange Growing Through EHR Adoption, New Study Finds.”  News Release.  5 Aug. 2013.