Report finds 90% of Ohio hospitals exchanging data

According to a new report from an organization representing Northeastern Ohio hospitals, about 90 percent of Ohio hospitals and more than 1,000 physicians in the state are now participating in a health information exchange (Source: “90% of Ohio hospitals take part in health information exchange,” EHR Intelligence, May 19, 2014).

The issue brief from the Cleveland-based Center for Health Affairs estimates that “more than 87 percent of Ohioans are in some way using the state’s HIE through their provider.”

“In many ways Ohio’s health information exchange is a micro version of what the country hopes to achieve; wherein health records follow the patient regardless of their geographic location,” the brief adds. “True interoperability means using different systems and software to exchange data across clinicians, labs, hospitals, pharmacies, and patients no matter what system or application is being used. As more vendors and providers form agreements as those in Ohio have, the momentum to develop a national HIE becomes even greater.”