The health information exchange vendor market is still very fragmented, with more than three dozen companies identified as providing IT products and services to these data sharing initiatives, according to a new report. Of the 35 vendors HIEs named as product and services providers, no vendor has a majority foothold yet, according to a new report released by the eHealth Initiative, which recently surveyed 196 of the 255 HIEs currently operating in the United States. The HIEs surveyed ranged from state-run initiatives to community-based organizations, including for-profit and non-profit efforts. Leading the pack is Axolotl, which provides products and services to 22 of the 196 (about 11%) surveyed HIEs. Axolotl was recently renamed OptumInsight, and is part of UnitedHealth Group's health IT services business. The next most prevalent HIE vendor is Medicity, being used in 14 initiatives, followed by a tie between Cerner and Mirth, with each providing products and services to nine HIEs. Also among the nearly three dozen vendors providing products and services to small handfuls of HIEs are GE Healthcare, IBM, ICA, Microsoft, and eClinicalWorks. Homegrown products are used by at least eight HIEs surveyed. More than a dozen vendors are serving just one or two HIEs so far.
