Michigan HIEs Merge to Form One of Largest in Nation

Michigan Health Connect and Great Lakes Health Information Exchange have merged to form one of the nation’s largest providers of health information exchange.

Called Great Lakes Health Connect, the combined HIE allows hospitals, physicians, and other medical professionals to quickly and securely share the health records of more than 5 million people.

Great Lakes Health Connect also enables hospitals and physicians to access a patient’s health history across many different providers, including lab facilities, allowing ready access to vital information and eliminating the need to rely on patient memory. In addition, it provides real-time notification to providers for admissions and discharges from hospitals to nursing homes and other providers, to make sure complete patient information is transferred and the risk of readmission is lowered.

“Michigan Health Connect and the Great Lakes Health Information Exchange recognized that our missions were essentially the same and that we could better achieve our vision for a healthier Michigan together, rather than independently,” said Brian McCardel, M.D., chairman of the Great Lakes Health Information Exchange Board of Directors.

Michigan Health Connect and Great Lakes Health Information Exchange in January announced a Letter of Intent to pursue a merger. Their boards voted to approve the merger in May and the merger was finalized July 1.