Competition Among Health Information Exchanges Slows Development of Michigan System

A plan intended to foster interconnected health information exchanges across the state has gone awry as companies providing the services compete for hospitals, physicians and market share.

The health information exchanges -- not to be confused with the health insurance exchanges under health care reform -- are intended to help make it easier for hospitals and physicians to exchange patient information, thereby achieving lower costs and higher quality by better coordinating care and reducing service duplication.

The problem is the two exchanges with the biggest market share, Okemos-based Great Lakes HIE and Grand Rapids-based Michigan Health Connect, use different information systems that cannot exchange data with providers that select other exchanges.

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Source: Modern Healthcare