Two Ohio counties launch health information exchanges

Clark and Champaign Counties will launch their own community health information exchanges (HIEs) by using the data centers and resources of the largest HIE in the country, HealthBridge, which serves the Greater Cincinnati tri-state area. (Source: "Cincinnati area HIE sprouts two others," Healthcare IT News, Sept. 10, 2007).  HealthBridge will "share its data centers and suppliers, clinical messaging system, services and staff, and manage all resources for the two HIEs for a monthly fee."

HIEs are used to electronically move clinical data between different health care provider information systems. Many experts believe HIEs can improve the health care system by providing patient-centric care in a more timely and effective manner. By using HealthBridge’s infrastructure, the Clark and Champaign Counties HIEs estimate they will connect a minimum of 50 percent of the counties' local physicians to their HIE system by the end of 2008. “The goal is to get everybody off of paper,” said Camilla Hull Brown, the interim executive director of the two countries' HIEs project.