Case study: Nebraska HIE moves quickly into production

Nebraska faces not only the nation's second largest aging population, but also many rural citizens as well. That makes it a particularly good candidate for statewide health information networks, which can bring critical data to patients on demand wherever they are. Luckily, it seems like Nebraska will have a fully-functioning HIE up and running in record time, thanks to a wide-ranging collaboration between physicians, hospitals, business groups and payers.

The Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII), which was incorporated just this year, is already finalizing a contract with its health information exchange vendor, Axolotl, whose Elysium Exchange will connect pilot participants in the exchange. While NeHII is relatively new, it has deep roots in the state, as it grew out of efforts beginning five years ago to enhance economic development and recruitment of biomedical companies through implementation of a statewide EMR.

The participants, which include radiology centers, reference labs and pharmacies in addition to hospitals, clinics and medical practices, will go live during the fourth quarter of this year. They include the Methodist Health System, the Nebraska Medical Center, Alegent Healthcare System and possibly the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. The HIE is being backed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, which helped pull together the stakeholders involved in the HIE.

To learn more about NeHII:
- read this Healthcare IT News piece

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