The Health Data Exchanges include Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs,) but this market can also include Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs,) Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs,) and Medical Service Organizations (MSOs.) Care Organizations have realized that the same data is needed for their care management operations as what an HIE/RHIO needs for operations, so why not spend a little extra on data exchange functions and get the return on investment from government subsidies?

The needs of Data Exchanges are government mandated. There are future requirements for every caregiver (physician, clinic, and/or hospital) to connect to a Data Exchange or be penalized (Medicare and Medicaid programs only.) This requirement, although "loose," took effect with Meaningful Use Stage 2 (MU2) which was mandated for October 1, 2014. 

The current government specifications for transferring MU2 data do not match the MU2 mandates. A widely referenced example is smoking status. There is no place in the current Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) specifications to specify the smoking status, nor any standardized coding assigned for amount of tobacco consumed (the current specification is Version 2.5 of the CDA).

Another issue in this market is that the proposed requirements of Meaningful Use Stage 3 (MU3), which were published on October 1, 2014 (90% final,) have stringent requirements for bidirectional HIE/RHIO connectivity for all caregivers. MU3 is currently slated to go into full effect October 1, 2016. Again, incentives are available for attaining MU3 prior to the mandated date and penalties if the care giver does not comply. Note: These penalties only apply to Medicare and Medicaid programs.

X-Link provides all the connectivity required by Health Data Exchanges. Check out X-Link's Systems Linked List or contact us at 800-645-2962 or 813-995-2200 for more information.

Get More for Your Meaningful Use

You can attest for Meaningful Use sooner and receive more incentives for your effort. Practices can easily set up X-Link interfaces between medical software systems and Health Data Exchanges to bidirectionally send data from all sources. 

Customize Your Data Flow

Although there are incongruities between government mandates and medical software capabilities, X-Link can work with Electronic Medical Records to create templates that contain data fields. This allows you to collect better data points from users.

Get Your Work Process Moving Faster

With X-Link on your side, your practice can stay connected, move more quickly and work more efficiently. Since X-Link sends data in real-real time, you don't have to wonder when your data will get moving and you don't have to wait long to get your results.