Testimony presented at a Jan. 29 meeting of the Health IT Policy and HIT Standards committees in Washington, D.C., was optimistic about the future of health information exchanges (HIEs), but also pointed to some ongoing challenges, Fierce EMR reports.
 
One of those is the need to remain financially sustainable once startup funds from the federal government run out, according to testimony from Bill Spooner, CIO of Sharp HealthCare in San Diego. Spooner also pointed to a lack of uniform standards for interoperability.
 
Nevertheless, HIEs will prove to be a necessary element of care transition projects such as accountable care organizations (ACOs) and medical homes, Spooner pointed out.
 
For case studies of agencies successfully working with HIEs already, turn to an upcoming issue of HHL.