Common patients and the resulting professional relationships are a much stronger driver of health information exchange use among physicians than the geographical area the HIE covers, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Informatics Association.
Researchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo examined professional physician networks and patient flow patterns in western New York and adoption data for a regional HIE over a three-year period.
Results showed the strongest influence on HIE adoption was common patients among physicians. A professional relationship due to shared patients was also a strong factor, significantly stronger than mere geographical proximity.
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