Study: Most U.S. Hospitals Not Participating In Health Data Exchanges

The majority of hospitals in the U.S. do not participate in health information exchanges, and there is substantial variation in participation rates among states, according to a new study published in Healthcare: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation, Health Data Management reports.  For the study, researchers at Harvard University and the University of Michigan examined hospitals' participation in HIEs to evaluate whether current federal and state policy efforts to boost engagement are successfully addressing barriers to participation (Goth, Health Data Management, 6/27).

The researchers used data from the 2010 and 2012 American Hospital Association surveys to measure hospitals' overall participation in HIEs and how hospital participation varied by state. The researchers then analyzed whether all types of hospitals are pursuing HIE participation, or if there were specific types of hospitals that were not yet engaged.  The researchers found that 30% of hospitals participated in HIE as of late 2012, but that participation varied substantially by state...