The Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) became the first operational statewide health information exchange in 2007. Today, more than 345 Delaware practices are live on DHIN with more than one third of all DHIN practices receiving their clinical results or reports through the exchange. Additionally, 75 percent of the state’s acute care hospitals participate in DHIN and all participating hospital emergency departments and laboratories send their data through DHIN to the Division of Public Health for public health monitoring.
On January 3rd, DHIN issued RFP 01-2011 “Comprehensive Health Information Exchange Evaluation: ROI and Benefits Assessment”. The goal is to evaluate both the quantitative and qualitative value achieved through the health information exchange in order to provide benefit statements to stakeholders on an ongoing and future basis.
DHIN stakeholders include employers, health plans, hospitals and hospital systems, national reference laboratories, patients, physician practices and community health centers, and the state of Delaware.
DHIN’s goal is to reduce the time and financial costs needed to exchange health information among providers and payers by reducing the complexity of the current distribution methods and drastically increase the use electronic communications.
DHIN will use a financial model to recover costs incurred by participants relative to the benefits provided and show a plausible return on investment for the charges incurred. DHIN will use the information to craft a financial model for planning future services and to plan and obtain sustainability.
In the future, some of the interstate HIEs will need to connect to DHIN to help bordering hospitals and physicians. DHIN is primarily doing cross over business with Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Discussions are ongoing with these states on developing collaborations.
The proposal is due on February 14, 2011 with the contract to be awarded in March. For questions, email Sarah Matthews at sarah.matthews@dhin.org or call (302) 678-0220. To view the RFP, go to www.dhin.org/ResourcesandLinks/RFPs/tabid/113/Default.aspx.
