The Louisville Health Information Exchange (LouHIE), a Kentucky e-Health Network for the Louisville region, will create an electronic health record banking system for its members.

Officials say the LouHIE project is expected to be a model for other cities, regions and states that want to create HIEs based on a centralized health record bank.

Salt Lake City-based 3M Health Information Systems and Wayne, Pa.-based InterComponentWare, Inc. (ICW) will design, build and pilot the integrated health information network that will offer free health record banking services to all 1.2 million citizens in and around Louisville.

"LouHIE will work closely with Kentucky state officials working on statewide health information exchange," said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. "The state is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with LouHIE, 3M, ICW and the Louisville area leaders in creating Kentucky's e-health research laboratory for the nation."

"Louisville has been working on an electronic health data network for three years now – and we can be a national model for how to implement the system," said Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.

The LouHIE initiative will enable members to store and manage their patient data in a private and secure personal health record bank. Each bank account will contain an electronic copy of an individual's health records, consolidated from clinics, hospitals and physician practices. Each individual will control his/her health record bank information and be able to choose to make the complete record available to providers at healthcare facilities in the greater Louisville area or access their own record via the internet.

3M will deliver an interoperable system that includes the 3M Clinical Data Repository, 3M Enterprise Master Person Index and 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary. ICW will provide the interoperability layer, consumer/physician portal (ICW Professional Suite) and personal health record, LifeSensor.

"The advanced technology provided by 3M and ICW makes it possible to achieve the highest level of data interoperability, which is essential to translating and consolidating patient information from diverse computer systems and healthcare facilities into a central health record bank. It also allows a high degree of patient privacy and information security, which are two of our top priorities," said Sheila Andersen, chairman of the LouHIE Board of Directors.