What is Health Information Exchange (HIE)?

Health Information Exchange (HIE) refers to a system designed to facilitate the electronic sharing of patient data across different healthcare settings. This system allows healthcare providers to access and transmit patient information securely and efficiently, which can improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety, and streamline clinical decision-making.

By enabling different healthcare entities, such as hospitals, laboratories, and outpatient clinics, to share vital health information, HIEs promote a comprehensive view of a patient's health history. This can include data such as lab results, radiology reports, medication lists, and treatment histories. The ability to quickly access and exchange this information reduces duplication of tests, minimizes errors, and allows for more coordinated and informed patient care.

In contrast, the other choices do not accurately describe HIE. Scheduling in-person appointments pertains to logistical aspects of patient care but does not involve data exchange. A type of medical insurance is unrelated to the electronic exchange of information, while a platform for managing prescriptions is more specific to medication management and does not encompass the broader scope of patient data sharing that HIE represents.