Florida's creation of an electronic medical record (EMR) exchange has intensified tensions between local hospitals and doctors, both of whom want control of patient health information. It's supposed to take four years and $20.7 million of state money to launch the Florida Health Information Exchange, intended to connect healthcare providers and patients via an EMR sharing system. So far, the Agency for Health Care Administration project has selected 17 hospital groups and practices across the state, including a Tampa-area 20-hospital consortium added in September. Backers of a separate local, physician-centered exchange say the project so far is excluding doctor voices, making the process a waste of taxpayer money.
