HIEs "Critical" According To Report

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Frost & Sullivan’s latest report says health information exchanges are critical when it comes to healthcare integration.

Technologies Enabling Home Medical Devices and Integrated Care Systems, a report from Frost & Sullivan, has found the integration of health information exchanges (HIEs) is essential for the new model of healthcare. According to the report, “The need to ensure healthcare delivery along the continuum of care, the emergence of innovative healthcare delivery mechanisms, and the increasing demand for efficiency and flexibility in healthcare dispensation, mandates a robust information technology platform. Healthcare information systems are at the interface between information and communication technologies and healthcare delivery.”

An announcement made by the research organization further explains changes to regulatory and legislative policies such as Meaningful Use will encourage the adoption of HIEs.

"These changes are likely to have far-reaching consequences for healthcare delivery, particularly in predictive diagnosis and population health management," said Technical Insights Research Analyst Bhargav Rajan. "Instead of functioning merely as workflow aids, information systems are likely to transform the very nature of healthcare planning and delivery, ushering in predictive analytics and coordinated care management."

Challenging this integration is the lack of interoperability in many countries. This makes it impossible to integrate HIEs with current EHR systems, while the high cost of such systems also factors in.

"A fully functional, integrated healthcare system is a product of innovations in technology, management and implementation," noted Rajan. "Of these, a solid technological infrastructure, led by dynamic and interactive information systems, will be key in establishing home and integrated care systems."