Health information exchange organizations currently reach 35 of California's 58 counties, according to a new map from the University of California, Davis.
Many of the connections among 12 rural counties were aided by the UC Davis Institute for Population Health Improvement's California Health eQuality program, which provided $775,000 in grants to four designated rural HIEs. The funding helped connect more than 30 acute care and critical access hospitals settings that serve 3.5 million people.
"Patients in rural areas often have to travel long distances to multiple different healthcare providers to get needed care — especially for medical specialist service — increasing the likelihood that some providers will not have all the information they need," said Kenneth W. Kizer, IPHI’s director and a distinguished professor at UC Davis, in a news release. "CHeQ’s rural HIE incentive initiative has provided a catalyst for developing these services in large areas of California. This will result in better coordination and higher quality patient care being provided in these areas."
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