An Intelligent Architecture for Health Information Exchanges (HIE)
Health Information Exchanges (HIE) are rapidly evolving from independent regional entities into state-run and, more recently, private HIEs led by progressive healthcare organizations desiring to deliver to their providers and patients a single access point for their health information. Bringing together disparate data from within and outside health system communities is challenging. Individual Health Record™ (IHR™), is a longitudinal holistic health file, designed not only to provide intelligent data exchange capabilities but also to deliver to this commitment with included services and health record solutions that let HIEs contribute to achieving Meaningful Use requirements and beyond.
Useful & Usable Data
Providing a data exchange environment alone is not sufficient; many have now discovered that endless data goes in but very little is used. This is because placing data in giant buckets for each individual requires an impossibly time-consuming data review task for each user…and the time is not there. What is required instead is a platform that understands the data, converts it to information appropriate to each user, and serves it up in a useful and usable form. Many products can take HL7 clinical data streams and post them into an individual's record, but for the tool to be useful the data must be understood and both useful and useable for workflow and patient health optimization.
Transformed & Repurposed Data
The successful HIE will have to look beyond merely aggregating data – a too-limited function already shown to often result in non-sustainable models. A focus on enhancing the outcomes of care and wellness activities requires information that is transformed and made immediately useful for enhancing workflow and care. The IHR responds on both counts. First, it goes beyond traditional clinical data source aggregation and also exploits the rich sources of clinical and administrative data housed in private insurer and government claims data. Second, the Individual Health Record utilizes a number of patent-pending data management techniques that, in a new and unique way, transform and repurpose this data. The IHR synchronizes claims-sourced clinical information with other clinical sources to create unified, transformed records that provide useful and usable clinical information for providers, caregivers and individuals to collaborate on health and disease management at the point of care. This capability is unique and after years of design and development is the answer to the challenges that Health Information Exchanges are experiencing today. Coupled with the availability of a fully integrated and certified EHR and PHR, the IHR allows HIEs to provide resources that everyone in the community wants to use.
