The Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) set of standards, services and policies have been evolving through the years. In addition to funding statewide health information exchanges (HIEs), the federal government is touting connectivity using the NHIN.
Education session 20, “HIE Connectivity Using the NHIN: Lessons from the SSA, C-HIEP and NHIN Projects,” Thursday at 11:30 AM-12:30 PM CST highlights real-world interoperability projects that have successfully enabled entities to exchange patient data.
Todd Rowland, MD, executive director of HealthLINC, and Rodney Cain, chief technology architect of HealthBridge, will discuss their respective HIE projects, which include collaborating with the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, among other federal and private-sector partners.
The projects range from the NHIN Prototype Architecture, CMS’ CARE Health Information Exchange Project (C-HIEP) and SSA’s electronic disability determination.
Leaders of HealthLINC, a community-based organization serving South Central Indiana, applied for NHIN grants in 2008 as a way to achieve enhanced interoperability, according to Rowland. HealthLINC partnered with HealthBridge on each phase of the NHIN work it participated in, he said.
“The ongoing work with NHIN and other interconnecting projects clearly demonstrates the power of interoperability,” Rowland said. He pointed out that enhanced interoperability will enable providers to integrate and reuse clinical information.
In addition, technology companies can contribute to significantly improving patient safety by developing applications and services that deliver enhanced interoperability.
“NHIN has become an essential method for federal agencies like CMS, SSA, DOD (Department of Defense) and VA (Veterans Affairs) to connect to each other and with the private sector,” he said. “We are likely to see a significant growth in reporting requirements with federal agencies as healthcare reform unfolds, so all providers will need to have this capacity.”
