Competitive concerns hinder HIE data uses

The fear of losing competitive advantage among stakeholders is slowing the development of health information exchanges beyond simple recordkeeping systems, according to Joy Grossman, a senior health researcher at the Center for Studying Health System Change. Grossman said business concerns are slowing the evolution of HIEs into sophisticated platforms capable of managing data for quality management and performance incentive programs. She reached those conclusions after leading a 2007 AHRQ study in which a team of researchers evaluated community stakeholders of four HIEs: Cincinnati-based HealthBridge: Indiana HIE; CareSpark, which serves parts of Tennessee and Virginia; and the Tampa Bay Regional Health Information Organization.