Health information exchange (HIE) allows multiple providers across different care settings to appropriately, efficiently, and securely share and access the patient’s information with each other and with their patient. Incentive payments linked to new care and payment models such as Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that were included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 often require, or are dependent upon, the ability of participating providers to utilize HIE. Health centers have made tremendous progress in the adoption of certified EHRs, but the ability of health centers, as well as many other providers who are not in large integrated delivery systems, to meaningfully use their EHRs to electronically exchange information has been harder to achieve. There is no one solution because of the different models of HIE in different communities and regions.
Important NACHC Library Content Note: This technical assistance resource was developed prior to the August 2017 release of the Health Center Compliance Manual by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). The BPHC Compliance Manual, issued August 2017, indicates where PINS, PALs and other program guidance are now superseded or subsumed by the BPHC Compliance Manual.
