Major HIEs in Indiana, Ohio Begin Bidirectional Data Sharing Across State Lines

The Indianapolis-based Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) and the Cincinnati, Ohio-based HealthBridge, two of the largest HIEs in the nation, are now sharing data in both directions across state lines.

Since September 2009, IHIE has sent clinical results to HealthBridge, a service line of Ohio-based The Health Collaborative, for delivery to their physicians. This information is provided when their patients seek care at locations in Indiana. It includes dozens of separate data feeds, so that lab and radiology results, for example, and other clinical reports and summaries are provided to these ordering physicians in a timely and standardized way, according to officials.

Now, The Health Collaborative is providing this information to physicians practicing at Reid Health in Richmond, Indiana who have patients that seek care within Ohio. Reid Hospital serves approximately 280,000 patients from eastern Indiana and western Ohio, including through locations in three Ohio counties and six Indiana counties. The information is fed directly into Reid Health’s electronic medical record (EMR) system, NextGen.

According to officials of the organizations, “Establishing interoperability between health information exchange organizations, such as IHIE and The Health Collaborative, is unique. Adding in the capability of the HIEs to ‘talk’ to EMR systems clearly adds value by providing the data directly to the provider in their existing workflow.” This collaboration also has the potential to expand to other hospitals and networks throughout the region, officials said.

Craig Brammer, CEO of The Health Collaborative said in a statement, “No other region in this country can provide the depth of data exchange and the two-way flow of information that we have accomplished here.” He said, “This collaboration provides a real world example of a bold vision for connecting healthcare not just in this region but across the nation.”

John P. Kansky, CEO of the Indiana Health Information Exchange added, “All healthcare information should follow the patient. We are proud to have these partners in preserving the confidence, trust and integrity of the data so that patients receive the best care possible.”