Mostashari expects big year ahead for data exchange

Health information exchange will increase in 2012 as the necessary elements of interoperability are in place. This includes standards, authentication certificates, governance for rules, and availability of directories. Health IT vendor Epic Systems has already conducted successful exchanges, saving lives in some cases. State health information exchanges are also making progress in bringing together multiple networks and models. The Direct Project secure messaging protocol is being used by several vendors, and many state HIEs are including Direct services in their plans.