Representatives from approximately 20 health information exchanges across the country have formed the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative, a national consortium to share ideas and best practices as well as bolster public education and advocacy.
SHEIC has been in the works for eight years, with members of HIEs meeting informally and exchanging ideas surrounding information exchanges.
The formal establishment of such a trade organization is indicative of the growth and maturity of HIEs, said Dick Thompson, executive director of the Quality Health Network in Colorado, who will also serve as chair of SHEIC.
"We believe that there are valuable services that a national consortium can provide to member HIEs such as achieving economies of scale, promoting business models for the sustainability of HIEs, educating and increasing awareness of HIEs among public and private entities, providing opportunities for the establishment of joint ventures and collaborating to inform legislators and policy makers of the benefits to the communities served by our members," Mr. Thompson said.
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