The concept might sound simple: a statewide system for health care providers to share patient information electronically, enabling anyone who treats a patient to have the most up-to-date information about that person.
Yet in reality, in Connecticut, and in many other states, creating a system to securely share health information throughout the state has proven slow and challenging.
Connecticut is now on the verge of launching a new statewide system to share patient health information, and the rollout and next steps will be critical in shaping the future of this key function in health care.
This brief provides an overview of the current landscape for the secure exchange of patient health information in Connecticut and describes opportunities and potential obstacles going forward, informed by a review of select national and state literature, as well as interviews with key stakeholders both in Connecticut and in other states that are further along with statewide HIE efforts. It is intended to help policymakers and those interested in patient care and population health understand where the state is today, what’s coming, and what to consider for success.
A fact sheet based on the brief is available here.