EHNAC’s Health Information Exchange (HIE) accreditation program was first released in October of 2010. It was developed through a process that included the publication of an HIE Market Scan White Paper and numerous meetings with an advisory group of experts from across the HIE industry. EHNAC continues to enhance this program, and in January of 2012 released version 1.1 .
On June 27, 2012 EHNAC submitted detailed comments regarding the Request for Information (RFI) on Governance of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN) which stated we support a governance mechanism in which accreditation is encouraged and promoted by ONC. This mechanism should voluntarily apply to entities that determine to conduct roles as facilitators of network exchange or innovators as evolved versions will likely occur over time. This kind of recognition program would be a value to the healthcare market and the public.
We further believe that a governance framework for health information exchange must achieve a correct balance between guidance and flexibility, constraints and enablement—regulation may not be the appropriate framework to achieve such governance. EHNAC’s primary concerns are that the current proposal included in the RFI does not contain enough specificity to be carried out effectively or “aggressively advance the progress needed,” and that the “validation” mechanism as proposed may actually impede the adoption of implementation of NwHIN.
On January 25, 2012, as part of our commitment to provide educational opportunities, EHNAC held the webinar, ‘Dispelling the Myth that all HIE’s are Created Equal’. View slides and webcast. Topics included:
- Setting the Stage and Defining HIE/HIO’s
- Quality, Performance and Addressing HIE Similarities
- Secrets of HIE Success Revealed: Lessons from the Leaders
- Sustainability & Data Exchange
- UHIN Case Study
- Regional Extension Centers and HIE’s
