One-Third of Chicago-Area Hospitals Come Together Into HIE

Thirty-four Chicago hospitals have decided to come together into a health information exchange, with plans to begin exchanging data early next year, according to a story in Modern Healthcare.

The group, which calls itself MetroChicago HIE, considers itself to have critical mass, given that it embraces about a third of the region’s 89 hospitals.

To exchange data, the HIE is using Direct protocols permitting basic, encrypted clinical messaging, such as the transmission of referral letters between providers which have established authentication and business relationships, Modern Healthcare notes.

Even with Direct protocols in hand to streamline data sharing, the hospitals will face significant challenges in tightening communications between their various EMRs, which include a number of Epic and Cerner installations, as well as a few Meditech shops. Planners will also face issues when they set out to link the HIE to office-based physicians.

To address the problem of communicating between multiple interfaces, the HIE has hired technology firm SandLot Solutions, a company launched by North Texas Specialty Physicians.

To date, many hospitals have been reluctant to sink big bucks into HIE development. But participating hospitals in Chicago seem confident that there is a business case for spending on an HIE.

The truth is, this may just be a tipping point for hospital-run HIEs generally. For example, a recent study by HIMSS Analytics and ASG Software Solutions concluded that almost 70 percent of the 157 senior hospital IT execs surveyed were involved in HIE efforts.

Now, let’s see how these Chicago hospitals handle data exchange when they move beyond Direct into more advanced sharing. That will really be where the rubber hits the road.

About the author

Anne Zieger

Anne Zieger is a healthcare journalist who has written about the industry for 30 years. Her work has appeared in all of the leading healthcare industry publications, and she's served as editor in chief of several healthcare B2B sites.

1 Comment

  • I find it interesting that they think 1/3 is a critical mass to be able to do it. I think that’s a little low.

    The stat on involvement from hospitals is always a little misleading when we’re talking HIE. They always all want to be involved so they can see what’s happening, but it’s one thing to be “involved” and another to be actually exchanging data and working to make that a reality.

Click here to post a comment
   

Categories