Health information exchanges are systems that allow the sharing of data electronically across healthcare organizations. They enable physician’s offices, hospitals, laboratories and other facilities within a community, hospital system or region to exchange vital patient data.
This kind of information sharing offers many benefits—for example, HIE systems allow for quicker access and retrieval of clinical data, allowing doctors to provide more timely care to patients. HIE systems can reduce the number of duplicate tests and procedures performed, since that information is often available via the exchange. Additional provider benefits include reduced expenses from the manual printing, faxing and scanning of documents, and reduced postage costs from mailing patient charts and records.
California has implemented a statewide health information exchange, and by the end of 2012 75% of the state’s counties will either be in the planning states or will have community-based operating HIEs, according to an article on healthcareitnews.com.
This is good news for patients, as the more streamlined a healthcare facility is the more time doctors have to spend with patients. HIEs have the potential to save healthcare facilities thousands of dollars each year, which could conceivably reduce insurance rates in the long run if those facilities charged less for services and procedures as a result of their savings.
Many changes are happening under the Affordable Care Act that will make it easier for individuals to obtain affordable California health insurance. Benefit Packages has a team of knowledgeable, licensed insurance agents to help you navigate your insurance options. In 2014 the healthcare mandate under the ACA will require all Americans to carry health insurance—there is no better time than now to understand your options. Call us today for a quote at 1-800-356-3615, or visit our website.