Regional Health Information Exchanges as Critical National Infrastructure: Supporting Federal Agency Missions

Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) are increasingly emerging as a rich source of data to capture healthcare encounters in various states and communities. There are an estimated 75+ HIEs in the country serving more than 300 million Americans. Dr. Khurshid and Dr. Kendrick reviewed the current state of health data interoperability in the US and the role that Regional HIEs play in exchanging and aggregating health data nationally and as health data utilities (HDUs). The differentiating characteristics of the HIE/HDU approach were highlighted and capability to support Federal agency missions emphasized with a detailed look at a recent project for the FDA.