Health System Connects to Statewide HIE For Interoperability Boost

Parkview Health, a 10-hospital health system in northeast Indiana, has joined the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) to support statewide, data-driven public health efforts powered by interoperability.

IHIE is the non-profit organization that operates the Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC), the largest inter-organizational clinical data source in the country. INPC has data on more than 17 million patients from over 117 hospitals, 18,000 practices, and 50,000 providers.

“As Indiana’s statewide health information exchange, IHIE believes it has a responsibility to securely gather, analyze, and communicate information in the best interest of public health, and specifically, in support of the Indiana Department of Health,” John Kansky, chief executive officer of IHIE, said in a press release.

IHIE consolidated with Michiana Health Information Network (MHIN) in 2020 to form a statewide HIE, providing healthcare stakeholders with a comprehensive source of connected patient information.

The consolidation has allowed IHIE to accrue clinical data to improve patient care and support public and population health initiatives, the HIE noted.

Now, the HIE’s clinical database will grow even larger with Parkview as a new partner.

“I believe Parkview’s participation will have a significant positive impact, and we greatly appreciate their participation,” Kansky continued.

Ron Double, chief information officer of Parkview Health, noted that COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of secure data exchange for collaboration and innovation.

“We understand the power of data and its impact on the health of our community,” said Ron Double, chief information officer of Parkview Health. “The pandemic demonstrated the importance of securely sharing information and collaborating with agencies across the state. Parkview is looking forward to seeing the impact of this partnership, especially in research and innovation.”

Parkview’s participation will enhance the statewide asset by increasing interoperability for care coordination and public health research efforts, the organizations said.

“Data are essential to us in our work to protect the health and safety of Hoosiers,” said Kristina Box, MD, FACOG, state health commissioner. “Adding Parkview Health to IHIE will greatly enhance our ability to make data-driven, evidence-based decisions for the whole state.”

IHIE has not only supported statewide interoperability efforts, but national ones, too.

Earlier this year, IHIE and five other major health information exchanges (HIEs) formed the Consortium for State and Regional Interoperability (CSRI).

CSRI aims to boost nationwide patient data exchange by progressing patient data exchange initiatives across the country and promoting state-to-state interoperability for providers, health plans, Medicaid programs, and public health departments.

Additionally, CSRI will form data-driven healthcare insights for federal agencies to advise critical policy decisions and increase health IT innovation.

The consortium is made up of IHIE, Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP), which covers Maryland, District of Columbia, and West Virginia; CyncHealth in Nebraska and Iowa; Health Current of Arizona; Manifest MedEx of California; and Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO).

“CSRI is well-positioned to leverage economies of scale on projects that have the potential to move the interoperability needle in a big way,” Morgan Honea, CEO of CORHIO, told EHRIntelligence.com in a February interview. “I am incredibly excited to be a part of this innovative group and look forward to developing and delivering HIT that can help solve significant data problems.”

In the fight against COVID-19, the six HIEs partnered with their local public health departments to enhance data exchange. The HIEs supported test ordering and scheduling with state and county clinics, as well as the development of dashboards for COVID-19 test results, mortality, and hospitalizations. The HIEs also supported contact tracing efforts, COVID-19 alerts, and predictive analytics to identify high-risk patients.