Health information exchange (HIE) is the transmission of
healthcare-related data among facilities, health information
organizations (HIO) and government agencies according to
national standards. HIE is an integral component of the health
information technology (HIT) infrastructure under development in
the United States and the associated National Health Information
Network (NHIN). To meet requirements, HIE technology must enable
reliable and secure transfer of data among diverse systems and
also facilitate access and retrieval data. The purpose of HIE
development is to improve healthcare delivery and information
gathering. State HIE leaders face uphill journey to health data
interoperability. Case study: Maine HIE sets national example
for participation.