Effects of HIE/HIT Implementation and Coordination of Care on Health Outcomes and Quality

Introduction The US healthcare system is highly fragmented and fraught with attendant inefficiencies in delivery. Lack of interoperability and care coordination have resulted in duplication of care, increased error rates, adverse drug-drug interactions, reduced safety, and increased costs. It has been argued that investments in health information technologies will radically transform the healthcare sector by increasing efficiencies, decreasing expenditures and increasing quality. Prevalence of chronic diseases, and the need for improved quality of care and patient outcomes necessitates the application of Health Information Technology (HIT) and Health Information Exchange (HIE) to streamline patient care, eliminate waste, and improve care coordination, with the goal of ultimately improving patient health outcomes. This study aims at exploring the effects of HIT/HIE on the outcomes and quality of care for diabetes, asthma, acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and hip and knee fracture. We look at average length of stay, adverse drug events and 30 day readmissions as measures of quality of care. This study addresses the policy implications and areas for further research to increase the success of HIT implementation, success of HIEs and ultimately improve health care outcomes and reduce health care expenditures through improved care coordination across disparate provider entities, and readily accessible patient data across fragmented networks.