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This report originally appeared in the March 2011 issue of DOTmed Business News

By Paul Merrild

According to a recent Porter Research and Billian’s HealthDATA survey of more than 120 health care executives, 43 percent of facilities are considering a move to an Accountable Care Organization model and 45 percent are seeking to improve connectivity within their hospitals and health systems. Technologies that optimize data storage and sharing will be a key focus for organizations seeking to overcome cost and funding challenges associated with planning and implementation of both public and private health information exchanges (HIE).

Interestingly, the survey’s respondents lacked clarity around HIE vendors. Nearly 50 percent were unsure of a market leader among HIE vendors, and 40 percent were unsure which vendors they’d consider. “CIOs at hospitals (are) used to making decisions about technology for the inside walls of their hospitals. The selection of an HIE solution impacts not only the hospital, but the owned affiliates, the clinics, the laboratories, the imaging centers. There are so many more stakeholders’ fingers in the cookie jar,” stated Cynthia Porter, president of Porter Research.

When it comes to electronic health records, CIOs face questions about the capabilities of various solutions to support HIE. The lack of clarity around vendors and leadership in the HIE space is compounded by the fact that many EHR solutions were not designed with interoperability in mind. When you take into account the fact that the very definition of an HIE is fluid, the challenges can be significant.



According to Porter, many organizations are increasing their focus on interoperability solutions in order to utilize existing technology. Some go about this by investing in an overlay technology, she said. This is a “slightly more promising approach,” said Porter, “as interoperability solutions were built to handle data exchange among legacy or disparate systems.”

In today’s healthcare landscape, one of the most pressing HIT issues is the cost-effective and timely sharing of diagnostic images. With all the technological advancements made in the last few years, it’s unbelievable to think that, even in the US, patients serve as a “transport mechanism.”. It is common to see patients arriving at doctor appointments, for example, with images from another care provider. In transfers from tertiary care to trauma facilities, it’s not atypical to have patients emerge from a helicopter or ambulance with a CD strapped to the stretcher.

Continue reading ACOs, HIEs and Image Exchange: Achieving true interoperability...

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