Health information exchanges (or HIEs) have long been the odd duck of the future of healthcare. Their proposed roles have varied from relatively simple (providing a mechanism for exchanging healthcare information among local providers) to complex (actually delivering some clinical decision support systems to their members). Even now there is no consensus on what HIEs should be doing, how they should be funded, and how many there should be.
The truth is that most HIEs are still funded by state and federal grants. These grants are temporary, since it's expected that some viable system of self-support will eventually assert itself. But until there's real evidence that this is happening, it's best to think of the entire HIE model as founded on the shifting sands of government whimsy. As we know all too well, many programs are "ear-marked today, gone tomorrow".
Some states also provide CDS functionality directly -- such as the eprescribing program in Florida. But again, such initiatives exist at the mercy of lawmakers, whose opinions may change without notice. For that reason, all HIS, EMR, and EHR vendors should treat such programs as temporary and not rely on them to provide functionality to their customers.
However, there are also established companies that can provide the same functionality (and have been for years). For drug information to drive clinical decision support, one such vendor is Lexicomp. They also have several partners in the electronic prescribing space that can fill that need with a less capricious solution than government programs. Contact Lexicomp today to learn more about both solutions -- use the phone number or form on this page.
The truth is that most HIEs are still funded by state and federal grants. These grants are temporary, since it's expected that some viable system of self-support will eventually assert itself. But until there's real evidence that this is happening, it's best to think of the entire HIE model as founded on the shifting sands of government whimsy. As we know all too well, many programs are "ear-marked today, gone tomorrow".
Some states also provide CDS functionality directly -- such as the eprescribing program in Florida. But again, such initiatives exist at the mercy of lawmakers, whose opinions may change without notice. For that reason, all HIS, EMR, and EHR vendors should treat such programs as temporary and not rely on them to provide functionality to their customers.
However, there are also established companies that can provide the same functionality (and have been for years). For drug information to drive clinical decision support, one such vendor is Lexicomp. They also have several partners in the electronic prescribing space that can fill that need with a less capricious solution than government programs. Contact Lexicomp today to learn more about both solutions -- use the phone number or form on this page.
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