The Evolution of Health Information Exchange, 2014

It can be said that the first part of the 21st Century in medicine has been the wave of information technology.  The capitalization of this relatively new department has diverted much funding from other needs in the health care industry.

The addition of HIT required federal underwriting. The ‘incentive’ was more of a negative reward/penalty instrument to force adoption of IT.  In order to maximize reimbursement from CMS hospitals are incentivized to reduce readmissions, and report meaningful use. Meaningful use follows a progressive course, escalating over time until fully implemented. Hospitals have many more stages than clinics or individual providers. Providers and hospitals alike must ‘attest’ to this functionality and demonstrate they are reporting. Failing to do so by a specific date is penalized by a reduction in reimbursement for services.

Much importance has been assigned to this effort, including improved outcomes, decreased expenses, improved patient experiences, transparency of information, accessibiliity of information for patients and providers and the unproven promises of ‘BIG DATA’

It will take some time to determine if these processes will  reduce expense or flatten the rate of inflation of health cost.  Built into and hidden from view is the cost of obtaining the data, and analytics.  A substantial IT investment and personell are added to the equation.  

The peverse nature of government is to spend more to save more…Government is fueled to expand and self-replicate ad infinitum.

Other industries such as the automotive business have profitted from BIG DATA, and it is hoped that by translating it to health care there will be dividends in treatments, cost reduction, safety, and better outcomes.

The Evolution of Health Information Exchanges

My  experience in this area began in 2005 as I led a group of physicians to consider a regional health information exchange.  It was a slow but fertile beginning.

We all focus on what is now and what lies ahead, that challenge can be justified by a brief but important look at our past accomplishments which are considerable.

Much has been accomplished, by many, and at relatively little expense in the planning phases of  HIE.  Early planning and project management time expenses were donated at no charge by physician leaders, medical societies, and interested vendors.

Well intentioned leaders do not have to spend billions of dollars to study or plan a project of this scope.  

These thoughts were corroborated as reviewed written and verbal correspondence for the early meetings of the Inland Empire Health Information Exchange (Riverside, Callifornia)

Neither can one forget the prescience of  President George W. Bush by forming the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, Don Berwick M.D. and their successors.

Physicians were dragged into the mix as naysayers, not wanting more complex procedures to interfere with patient management responsibilities. We are now well along the way and there will be no turning back.

Even more than the abilit fo providers to exchange medical information is the added dividend for analytics, and support for accountable care organizations.