Hospitals, Health Systems Create Own Health Data Networks
Rather than wait for the creation of regional health information organizations, many hospitals and integrated health care delivery systems are building their own networks to share data with area physicians, Health Data Managementreports.
Mark Holland, program director of health care provider research at IDC's Health Industry Insights, said much of the networking activity in health care involves hospitals connecting to their referring physicians, not larger RHIOs or health information exchanges. He added that hospitals and health care delivery systems are investing in networks to become more competitive.
Matt Ebaugh, chief information officer at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, Ill., said, "We knew that if we made it easier for physicians to access data, it would be a way to bond with them and offer us a temporary competitive advantage."
Deborah Kohn, principal at Dak Systems Consulting, said that for broader, collaborative health data networks to be successful, participants must first establish their own networks. She said, "It always amazed me that some organizations that are part of RHIOs are not yet effectively exchanging information among their own facilities. It's like putting the cart before the horse" (Health Data Management, 8/11). |
发表于 2008-8-15 08:10:42
