Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
The variants of organizational authority and control, the methods
of convening diverse stakeholders and working toward consensus and
trust, and developing public policies for participation, accountability, and
responsibility in the HIE network all demonstrate that appropriate gover-
nance must be thought through carefully. In addition to these common
governance values, the type of HIE infrastructure that is implemented, the
technical requirements that differ between centralized and decentralized
models, and the level of technical coordination determined by the choice
of HIE infrastructure all place pressure on the requirements of appropri-
ate governance. The unique determinants of each state-designated entity
mirror the needs of its unique communities, and the ability to draw stake-
holders together and encourage competitors to compete on everything
else except sharing the data is a challenge that must be addressed straight
on to ensure the successful implementation of a state-level HIE.
CONCLUSIONS
The institution of governance oversight is critical for establishing success-
ful health information exchange among a diverse set of healthcare provid-
ers. There are many concerns and issues about data sharing that create
barriers to the effective exchange of health information. It takes a strong,
neutral group of concerned people to bring the different healthcare stake-
holders to the table to work through their differences to create some com-
mon ground for sharing the healthcare records for which they are data
stewards. This role as the Neutral Convener is a key value for governance
of the HIE because it must establish the trust among all participants and
must display a preference only for maintaining an equal playing field for
all. A related value for the governance body in its neutral convening role is
transparency of actions, in which all meetings, discussions, and decisions
are accomplished in the open. This value is essential to the formation of
trust and for maintaining its credibility in the healthcare community.
There are other values that the HIE governance brings to the table. The
HIE governing body must have Authority vested in it, either by the com-
munity of healthcare stakeholders or, as in the case of the state-designated
entities, by the state government. This is essential for its credibility and
representation of all participants. With that responsibility comes the task
of Leadership in articulating a vision of health information exchange
Search WWH ::
Custom Search