Six large regional health information exchanges (HIEs) have joined the Mid-State Consortium of Health Information Organizations, bringing the total number of member organizations to 23 spanning across 18 states in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions.
The new health information organization (HIO) members are Illinois Health Information Exchange, Lewis and Clark Information Exchange, Michiana Health Information Network, Tiger Institute Health Alliance, Utah Health Information Network, and the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network.
The Mid-States Consortium of HIOs formed in January 2014 and is collaborating to address data exchange challenges. The core objectives of the group include advocating for more robust forms of HIE such as query-based HIE, and for health information to appropriately follow patients that require healthcare services outside of their home town or home state. The group is also addressing the challenges and unique needs of rural areas related to health IT and HIE, the organization’s officials say.
The Mid-States Consortium of HIOs has established four workgroups that meet monthly to advance high-priority topic areas: regulatory, payer relations, provider directory and data exchange.
"I am pleased that the consortium is meeting its objective of bringing health information organizations together to collaborate and create consensus for interstate data sharing," Laura McCrary executive director of the Kansas Health Information Network and founding member of the Mid-States Consortium of HIOs, said in a statement. "With more organizations participating in the Mid-States Consortium of HIOs, we have an even greater opportunity to ensure accurate and complete health information is available when patients seek care outside of their home communities or states."
