Health Information Exchange (HIE)

What is the HIE, and why is it important?

The Health Information Exchange, or HIE, is a way of instantly and securely sharing health information among approved doctors’ offices, hospitals, labs, radiology centers, and other health organizations. HIE allows delivery of the right health information to the right place at the right time, providing safer, more timely, efficient, patient-centered care.

Is my doctor participating in the HIE?

Clinics, laboratory and radiology centers, and some physician practices are currently participating in the HIE, with more being added each month.

What are the benefits of participation in the HIE?

Participation in HIE allows the doctors, clinicians, and nurses treating you in a clinic or hospital to access your medical history. For example, doctors can review recent lab results whether the test was conducted at your primary care provider, at the hospital, or at participating labs in another town.

How is my medical information kept private?

Innercare takes patient privacy very seriously and recognizes that HIE cannot succeed if patients do not trust that their information is safe. Protecting patient information in the HIE is a priority. The HIE follows all State and Federal laws (for example, HIPAA) to protect patient information. Innercare considers the privacy and security protections outlined by the law to be minimum standards, and many of our policies go above and beyond what is required by law.