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Factors Related to Health Information Exchange Participation and Use

  • Systems-Level Quality Improvement
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Abstract

This study examines factors facilitating and delaying participation and use of the Health Information Exchange (HIE) in Louisiana. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with health care representatives throughout the state. Findings suggest that Meaningful Use requirements are a critical factor influencing the decision to participate in the HIE, specifically the mandate that hospitals be able to electronically transfer summary of care documents. Creating buy-in within a few large hospital networks legitimized the HIE and hastened interest in those markets. Fees charged by electronic health record (EHR) vendors to develop HIE interfaces have been prohibitive. Funding from the federal incentive program is intended to offset the costs associated with EHR implementation and increase the likelihood that HIEs can provide value to the population; however, costs and time delays of EHR interface development may be key barriers to fully integrated HIEs. State HIEs may benefit from targeted involvement of state health care leaders who can champion the potential value of the HIE.

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Acknowledgments

The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum (LHCQF), a nonprofit entity comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders across the Louisiana healthcare delivery and public health sectors, was awarded a grant in 2010 from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to implement a statewide Health Information Exchange in Louisiana (LaHIE). The authors of this paper were contracted with funds from this grant to provide an external evaluation of these efforts. Findings from this evaluation are included in this paper.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 1900, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Valerie A. Yeager, Daniel Walker, Arthur M. Mora & Mark L. Diana

  2. Georgia Health Policy Center, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Evan Cole

Authors
  1. Valerie A. Yeager
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  2. Daniel Walker
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  3. Evan Cole
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  4. Arthur M. Mora
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Correspondence to Valerie A. Yeager.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Systems-Level Quality Improvement

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Yeager, V.A., Walker, D., Cole, E. et al. Factors Related to Health Information Exchange Participation and Use. J Med Syst 38, 78 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-014-0078-1

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