Monday, June 7, 2010

How do you actually DO the "exchange" part of Health Information Exchange?

In spite of the great leaps made in standardization of message formats and contents (HL7, CCR, XML, etc., etc.), it is still sometimes remarkably difficult to get a message out of one electronic system and into another. Each laboratory information system, Electronic Health Record, registry or portal has its own requirements, issues and quirks.  Absent a true lingua franca, those of us doing health information exchange spend a lot of time and money designing, negotiating, implementing and repairing interfaces.

A financial services company out of San Mateo, CA called CloudPrime has been doing this kind of translation and interfacing for banks for some time and is now moving into health care. They say they can build an encrypted interface between two systems in a matter of days and can guarantee delivery of all messages. Their stuff looks good on paper (on browser?) and their rep, Jeremy Miller, quoted some pretty attractive prices, so it could be a real resource as we develop new ways to move the data around.

4 comments:

  1. I think it is better if you would consult an IT expert to ensure the exchange of information.

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  2. Hello,

    HIE systems today have a substantial uphill battle ahead of them to be able to collect and meaningfully display data across a variety of information systems, so that consumers of this data will be able to use it in a meaningful way.One of the great challenges for the HIE movement is maintaining patient privacy.

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  3. Bimatoprost is absolutely right about the challenges of multiple platforms and privacy. I think both issues can be managed, but we to construct incentives and governance issues that make it possible for the payers of the costs of HIE to get the value back out. In the long run, HIEs need to be financed in a stable, equitable manner, or they will fail. So, services that bring value to somebody need to be paid for by that party. Prescription processing that helps pharmacies should be paid for by them. Services that reduce utilization (like Vermedx for chronic diseases) should be paid for by the insurers. Records transfer and storage that benefit hospitals should be paid for by the, and so forth.

    If this business model can be worked (as it has in other industries), then I'm confident we can make progress on other issues.

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  4. In health exchange informations, better to give only factual reports into readers. Don't release an article which is no further study abide by medical practitioners or any in the field of Health and medicines.

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