The last 18 months will likely be remembered as the turning point in which Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) gained widespread consensus. Today, few would argue that Health Information Networks (HINs), and especially RHIOs, lie at the top of the healthcare agenda in the United States. With the possibility to dramatically increase the quality of healthcare, all stakeholders – including patients, providers and hospitals – are set to benefit from the establishment of RHIOs.

Expectations are high. But as more and more initiatives for RHIO formation surface, the challenges that accompany these ambitious projects are becoming painfully apparent. By nature, RHIOs draw together separate organizations –living, changing organizations, with different cultures and interests, which use a variety of systems and approaches to clinical information. There is no single implementation or business model to copy. As a result, vast majority of organizations, forming a RHIO means stepping into uncharted territory.

This Paper examines the most critical issues of RHIO formation and raises problems not commonly cited, including the main technological challenges faced during implementation. It also explains how using a federated, flexible solution can help overcome, or even avoid, these problems.

Reprinted with Permission from dbmotion