The eHealth Exchange, the nationwide HIE formed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, has been transitioned to the private sector so the exchange can grow. Today, more than 800 hospitals, 6,000 medical groups, 800 dialysis centers, and 850 retail pharmacies are participating in the nationwide exchange.
In the next few months that growth is going to take another significant leap as the exchange is expected to connect more than 1,600 hospitals which is more than 30 percent of the hospitals in the U.S, along with 10,000 medical groups.
Healtheway is the non-profit public-private collaboration that operationally supports the eHealth Exchange. The eHealth Exchange provides a standardized and cost-effective way to securely share clinical information without having to establish point-to-point legal agreements and the need to negotiate and test with every exchange partner.
The eHealth Exchange helps to satisfy Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements, complements state and regional HIO efforts to connect communities, and expedites processing of disability claims and payment of benefits to the disabled.
Healtheway has also announced the results of their annual participation survey. The survey results show significant increases in participation in the eHealth Exchange as well as a surge in the number of secure online transactions taking place among eHealth Exchange community participants.
In 2013, several hundred thousand transactions were securely exchanged among eHealth Exchange participants related to treatment, transitions of care, and eligibility for federal benefits. In addition, participants pushed more than 26 million transactions to CMS related to quality data for the End Stage Renal Disease program. Other Federal agencies participating included DOD, VA, and SSA along with state entities such as HIN of Arizona, HealtHIE Nevada, and the Inland Empire HIE.
The survey revealed a strong pipeline of new organizations that have applied to join the eHealth Exchange. More than 60 organizations have applied and are in various stages of testing in preparation for going live on the exchange. In the next several months, participation is expected to more than double. Dozens of other organizations have indicated that they will begin the application process in the coming months.
For more information go to www.healthewayinc.org.