Advancing health information technology in
Minnesota and North Dakota.

Education Center - Health Information Exchange

Education Center

The REACH Education Center is a one stop shop to access valuable webinars, resources and information about upcoming REACH events. To view information for a specific area, select a topic in the orange sidebar to the left.

REACH staff are also available to help. Please contact REACH at info@khareach.org or (877) 331-8783 ext. 222.

Overview

Health information exchange (HIE) is the mobilization of health care information electronically across organizations within a region, community or hospital system. The goal of HIE is to facilitate access to and retrieval of clinical data to provide safer, more timely, efficient, effective, equitable, patient-centered care. Meaningful use requires each health care facility to exchange patient information freely and securely with other facilities external to the facility. The CMS meaningful use final rule indicates that several measures require a test of the ability of the EHR to perform health information exchange.

State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program

The HITECH Act authorized the establishment of the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program to advance appropriate and secure health information exchange (HIE) across the health care system. The purpose of this program is to continuously improve and expand HIE services to reach all health care providers in an effort to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. Cooperative agreement recipients will evolve and advance the necessary governance, policies, technical services, business operations, and financing mechanisms for HIE over a four-year performance period. This program will build from existing efforts to advance regional and state level HIE while moving toward nationwide interoperability.

Webinar Recordings

North Dakota Health Information Exchange
51 minutes - recorded Tuesday, November 2, 2010
North Dakota Health Information Technology Update
44 minutes - recorded Thursday, October 6, 2011

Resources

Minnesota HIE

Health information exchange (HIE) in Minnesota means the electronic transmission of health related information between organizations according to nationally recognized standards (Minn. Stat. §62J.498 sub. 1(f)).

HIE Guidance for Minnesota’s Health and Healthcare Providers >

PDF Version of Guide [PDF - 1.98MB] (MDH Website)

Minnesota e-Health Connect is a project funded through the State Health Information Exchange (HIE) Cooperative Agreement Program, established under the HITECH Act and administered by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). The program is intended to build capacity in all states for exchanging health information across the health care system both within and across states.

HIE Connectivity Grant Program >

The Upper Midwest (UM) HIE State Health Policy Consortium was created to find ways to address barriers to exchanging patient health information across state borders. The UM HIE Consortium, led by Minnesota and including representatives from Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, focused on how to make it easier to accomplish provider-to-provider exchange of patient health information for treatment purposes.

Upper Midwest Health Information Exchange (UM HIE) tools >

A State-Certified Health Information Exchange (HIE) Service Provider is one of two types of organizations granted a Certificate of Authority to operate in Minnesota: a health information organization (HIO) or a health data intermediary (HDI). A HIO is an entity that provides all electronic capabilities for the transmission of clinical transactions necessary for “meaningful use” of electronic health records. A HDI is an entity that provides the infrastructure to connect computer systems or other electronic devices used by health care providers, laboratories, pharmacies, health plans, third-party administrators, or pharmacy benefit managers to facilitate the secure transmission of health information.

Minnesota State-Certified Health Information Exchange Service Providers >

HIE Toolkit

Provides a comprehensive toolkit for health information exchange (HIE). Topics of the Toolkit include HIE Policy Matrix; HIE DIRECT Guide; Return on Investment Calculator; Privacy and Security Overview and Resource List; and, HIE - First Considerations.

View the toolkit >

North Dakota HIE

North Dakota is building a statewide health information exchange. It will be a three phased approach with phase one being the implementation of direct functionality across North Dakota. Phase two will be the incorporation of two-way push/pull technology with several providers to pilot connections and the exchange of data, and phase three will be full implementation of a robust health information exchange for all providers.

The Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) and workgroups are currently reviewing proposals from selected vendors interested in providing the health information technology infrastructure. Additional information on North Dakota's plan can be found on the HITAC website.

ONC HIE Information

Rural Assistance Center HIT Toolkit

The Rural Assistance Center has created a library of Federal HIT Resources for Rural Health Care Providers.

Rural Assistance Center HIT Toolkit >

Basecamp

REACH Clients may access additional resources using Basecamp. If you are a REACH client and you need login information, please contact info@khareach.org.

Basecamp Login >