Two Midwest health information exchanges, Tiger Institute Health Alliance and Lewis and Clark Information Exchange, are now able to share the data of 2.5 million patients across Missouri and Kansas.

TIHA, based in Columbia, Mo., and LACIE, based in Kansas City, Mo., enacted an agreement by which data exchange incurs no connection fees for either network, member providers or patients, officials say.

Linking the two HIEs connects 30 hospitals and more than 4,000 physicians operating at more than 500 clinics and other care venues – such as emergency medical services, long-term care and home health – that use several different electronic health record systems.

[See also: Midwestern states ink HIE deal.]

"As Americans become more mobile, they are receiving healthcare from different providers, often in different cities," said Harold A. Williamson Jr., MD, board chair of the TIHA and vice chancellor of the University of Missouri Health System, in a press statement.

"This data sharing will allow physicians to view their patients' medical records from other healthcare organizations instantly, giving physicians more information to make the best healthcare decisions," he added.

Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics Chief Medical Information Officer Laura Fitzmaurice says her organization sees "countless"  patients from Missouri and Kansas.

"This partnership between LACIE and TIHA means Children's Mercy will have access to more patient information than ever before," said Laura Fitzmaurice, chief medical information officer of Kansas City-based Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, who says her hospital serves patients from both states.

[See also: HIE as platform for innovation.]

"As a physician, I'm encouraged because we will make better decisions for our patients and, as an administrator, I'm excited to deliver this service to our employed and affiliated physicians," she said, in a press statement.

Mike Dittemore, executive director of LACIE said this new data sharing will bring immediate results.

"We are now sharing medical records among patients' healthcare providers in different cities – even different states – all within months of agreeing to do so," he said in a statement. "This connection to the Tiger Institute Health Alliance is the most significant connection LACIE has made to date."