HIE resources at the National Rural Health Resource Center
The National Rural Health Resource Center has made available a set of practical health information exchange (HIE) resources available in an HIE Toolkit. The HIE Toolkit was developed through the Rural Health Information Technology Network Development (RHITND) Program, which is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (HRSA, DHHS) through a contract to the National Rural Health Resource Center.
Here’s a list of individual tools and corresponding links:
Forming or Joining a Health Information Exchange – First Considerations
This document covers the first steps in forming or joining an HIE. The document also includes a readiness self-assessment tool designed around governance, sustainability, technology, legal and policy, provider adoption, evaluation and consumer engagement domains.
Health Information Exchange Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator
This spreadsheet calculates potential savings and costs of implementing an electronic health record (EHR) and a health information exchange (HIE). Sources are listed along with each calculation.
Health Information Exchange DIRECT Guide
This guide to DIRECT connectivity standards is designed to assist health care providers in understanding and implementing health information exchange using DIRECT protocols. The guide includes descriptions of technologies used, a glossary of terms and recommendations on implementing DIRECT.
Health Information Exchange Policy Matrix
These “policy models” are adapted from The Connecting for Health Common Framework. Specifically, the policy suggestions are from section P2: Model Privacy Policies and Procedures for Health Information Exchange. This framework provides several useful tools for health information exchange (HIE); P2 contains much of the necessary policy and procedure language needed for an HIE.
Privacy and Security Overview and Resource List
The privacy and security requirements for organizations participating in an HIE are covered in this guide. A list of HIPAA-related resources is also included for staying current on regulatory changes.
All of these resources can be found at http://www.ruralcenter.org/rhitnd/hie-toolkit.