Health Information Exchange - Research Review - Final | AHRQ Effective Health Care Program

Health Information Exchange - Research Review - Final | AHRQ Effective Health Care Program

The full impact of electronically exchanging health information on patient  outcomes needs additional research, according to a new AHRQ systematic  review. The electronic exchange of health information has increased over  time and is used most in hospitals and the least in long-term care settings. However, electronically exchanging health information remains low overall. Some evidence suggests electronically exchanging health information may  reduce duplicative laboratory and radiology testing, lower emergency  department costs, reduce hospital admissions, improve public health reporting, increase ambulatory quality of care, and improve disability claims processing.  Barriers to electronically exchanging health information include lack of participation,  inefficient workflows, and poorly designed features. To advance our understanding  of how to better exchange health information electronically, future studies need to address comprehensive questions, use more rigorous designs, and be part of  a coordinated, systematic approach to studying the electronic exchange of  health information. Select to access the full systematic review.