Providers and payers blame interoperability issues and data blocking on EHR vendors, turn to private HIE
More than half of providers pointed a finger straight at their EHR vendors for existing connectivity defects, lacking interoperability and, perhaps worst, data blocking and silos, according to a report Black Book intends to publish on April 7, 2016.
An overwhelming number of insurance companies, meanwhile, are moving away from involvement with public health information exchanges in a move toward more regional exchange.
“The misalignment of requirements and protocols has hampered all stakeholders’ interoperability efforts,” Black Book managing partner Doug Brown said in the report.
In addition to the 57 percent of survey respondents who blame EHR vendors, in fact, 20 percent cited government agencies for being too slow to develop standards that advance interoperability. And 17 percent said executive leadership at their organization is not interested enough in making interoperability and health information exchange happen soon.
“This disorder is ushering in a new replacement revolution, this time for those HIEs failing to meet the expectations of their users — payers and providers alike,” Brown added.
To that end, Black Book also found that 63 percent of hospitals and networks are actively moving to replace their HIE system while 94 percent of payers “intend to totally abandon their involvement with public HIEs and work directly in regions and states to create or bolster private enterprise HIEs that more directly meet their needs to facilitate accountable care initiatives with providers.”
Almost all of the responding hospitals also see private HIEs as the more sustainable and profitable option moving forward — while 88 percent of hospitals and 95 percent of payers said all stakeholders should pay a fair share in secure data exchange to maintain what Black Book described as a more collaborative, trusting relationship.
“Value-based care, payer participation in private HIEs, patient locator systems and analytics will be the real forces that push interoperability ahead next,” Brown said. “That’s what will ultimately force comprehensive interoperability into reality, not government-scripted vendor pledges.”
Twitter: SullyHIT
Email the writer: tom.sullivan@himssmedia.com
