Nashville-area hospitals' patient data exchange may save money, lives

A collaboration among four Nashville hospitals or hospital systems calls for the exchange of health information. The agreement between Saint Thomas and Baptist hospitals, Metro General, Vanderbilt and HCA Inc.'s TriStar Health System has the potential to eliminate redundant tests. But before information can be shared, representatives of the hospitals have to decide the types of data to exchange and issues such as regulatory compliance, connectivity and privacy.