1. Interoperability can only be achieved when provider organizations do the work necessary to participate. Do provider organizations have the necessary incentives to do that work?
2. Private health information exchanges seem to be growing at a faster pace than public health information exchanges. Public exchanges should arguably offer more value to patients and lower costs to provider organizations. Why the discrepancy?
3. The INPC, originated as a research project, was initially funded by grants and one of the ongoing value propositions is research use of the data. Is research necessarily critical to success of a health information exchange?
4. Establishing and operating a health information exchange requires a variety of investments including computing and network infrastructure, software systems of various types, legal and operational costs. Would you agree that data capture and normalization is the largest investment required?
5. Computing infrastructure, networking technology, software and clinical information standards will continue to evolve rapidly and investments in the technology will depreciate relatively rapidly. What are the core assets of an HIE if not these things?

ANSWER
Do provider organizations have the necessary incentives to participate in health information exchange (HIE)?
There are a number of incentives that can encourage provider organizations to participate in HIE, including:

Improved patient care: HIE can help providers to deliver better care to their patients by giving them access to a more complete picture of the patient\’s medical history. This can help providers to identify and avoid potential problems, and to develop more effective treatment plans.
Reduced costs: HIE can help to reduce costs by eliminating the need for providers to duplicate tests and procedures. It can also help to reduce the risk of medical errors and adverse events.
Increased revenue: HIE can help providers to increase revenue by making it easier for them to participate in pay-for-performance programs and other value-based payment arrangements.
However, there are also some challenges that can discourage provider organizations from participating in HIE, such as:

Cost and complexity: Implementing and operating an HIE can be costly and complex, especially for smaller organizations.
Privacy and security concerns: Providers need to be confident that their patients\’ data will be safe and secure when it is shared through an HIE.
Lack of interoperability: HIEs need to be interoperable with the electronic health record (EHR) systems that providers use. This is not always the case, which can make it difficult for providers to participate in HIE.
Despite these challenges, the number of provider organizations participating in HIEs is increasing. This is due in part to the incentives listed above, as well as to government regulations that are promoting the adoption of HIE.

Why are private health information exchanges (HIEs) growing at a faster pace than public HIEs, even though public HIEs arguably offer more value to patients and lower costs to provider organizations?
There are a number of reasons why private HIEs are growing at a faster pace than public HIEs. One reason is that private HIEs are typically more flexible and agile than public HIEs. This is because private HIEs are not subject to the same level of government regulations as public HIEs.

Another reason is that private HIEs are often seen as being more innovative than public HIEs. This is because private HIEs are incentivized to develop new products and services that meet the needs of their customers.

Finally, private HIEs are often better funded than public HIEs. This is because private HIEs can generate revenue from the sale of their products and services. Public HIEs, on the other hand, are typically funded by government grants.

Despite the faster growth of private HIEs, public HIEs still play an important role in the healthcare system. Public HIEs can provide access to health information for patients who do not have access to private HIEs. Public HIEs can also play a role in coordinating care for patients who see multiple providers.

Is research necessarily critical to the success of a health information exchange (HIE)?
Research can play an important role in the success of an HIE. Research can help to identify the best ways to implement and operate an HIE. Research can also help to identify the benefits and risks of HIEs.

However, research is not necessarily critical to the success of an HIE. There are many HIEs that are successful without conducting any research. These HIEs are focused on providing a valuable service to their customers, and they are not as interested in conducting research.

Whether or not research is critical to the success of an HIE depends on the goals of the HIE. If the goal of the HIE is to provide a valuable service to its customers, then research is not necessarily critical. However, if the goal of the HIE is to advance the science of HIE, then research is essential.

Would you agree that data capture and normalization is the largest investment required to establish and operate a health information exchange (HIE)?
Data capture and normalization can be a significant investment for HIEs. This is because HIEs need to be able to capture data from a variety of different sources, including EHRs, laboratory systems, and imaging systems. This data can be in a variety of different formats, and HIEs need to be able to normalize the data so that it can be easily shared and used by different providers.

However, data capture and normalization is not the only investment required to establish and operate an HIE. Other investments include computing and network infrastructure, software systems, and legal and operational costs.

The relative size of the investment in data capture and normalization will vary depending on the specific HIE. For some HIEs, data capture and normalization may be the largest investment. For other HIEs, the investment in computing and network infrastructure may be larger.