Report: QIOs Help Health Information Exchange Formation

A report from the American Health Quality Foundation found that quality improvement organizations are helping to accelerate the formation of health information exchanges at the local, state and regional levels. The report, called "Quality Improvement Organizations and Health Information Exchange," looked at QIOs in 41 states and found that the organizations can support health information exchanges' development because of their experience in many of the initial activities. According to the report, QIOs can act as a neutral third party to recruit participants, help create an exchange organization and assist with policy development for information sharing. The report notes an "overlap" between sharing health records and tracking care quality. The report's authors said they expect QIOs' involvement with health information exchanges to expand in the future.