Indianapolis-based Indiana Health Information Exchange and Cincinnati-based Health Bridge, two of the biggest and longest-standing health information exchanges in the United States, are now sharing data bidirectionally across state lines.

Indiana HIE has sent clinical data to Health Bridge for more than six years, giving information for patients of that HIE's parent,The Health Collaborative, when they seek care at locations in the Hoosier State.

[Also: Indiana, Ohio HIEs reach milestone in clinical data exchange]

But the Health Collaborative is now returning the favor, furnishing patient data to physicians practicing at Richmond, Indiana-based Reid Health – which serves about 280,000 patients across both states – when they seek care in Ohio.

The information streams directly into Reid's NextGen electronic health record system, said Craig Kinyon, Reid's president and CEO.

[Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook]

"No other region in this country can provide the depth of data exchange and the two-way flow of information that we have accomplished here," said Health Collaborative CEO Craig Brammer in a statement. "This collaboration provides a real-world example of a bold vision for connecting healthcare, not just in this region, but across the nation."

This hope, officials from both HIEs said, is to build on this new phase and expand it to other hospitals and networks throughout the region.

Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN