Health Data Management

[GGillespie]

The federal government has doled out nearly $550 million in grants to state organizations to "facilitate state-level HIEs." Is this really the best use of these millions, when many already operational HIEs could use some financial support to expand or strengthen their infrastructures? I'm questioning the wisdom of providing grants to fund a new layer of government bureaucracy to create blueprints, do impact studies, do some more studies, document study findings, etc. Anyone think these grants are going to birth a working HIE anytime soon?

[> BruceSF]

There are good reasons to have, and to fund, HIE organizations at both the local community and state levels.

A community-based HIE is able to recruit and connect its local providers directly - and with consideration for the specific needs and issues of their local medical community's providers.

A state includes more than cities and towns - it must also integrate small rural clinics and providers where no HIE exists or is viable, and interconnect existing HIEs where available. It faces a broader range of priorities and issues (urban versus rural state cultures and politics, for instance). These larger issues need be evaluated and reconciled to ensure that HIE services are being fairly and effectively delivered to all of the state's providers and patients.

Your concern seems to be WHO is getting government funding... perhaps your focus should be on learning how HIEs like HealthBridge have been able to fully fund themselves with coalitions of employers, health plans, and physician groups.

Bottom line: If you don't like the way government handles things, don't take the handout.