Definition of HIE
HIE, which stands for Health Information Exchange, refers to both the process of electronically sharing health information between organizations and the organizations (also called HIEs or HINs) that facilitate that exchange. The term carries both meanings depending on context — the act of exchanging and the entity that enables it.
As a process, HIE allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers to securely access and share a patient’s medical information electronically across organizational boundaries — improving the speed, quality, and safety of patient care.
As an organization, an HIE is typically a regional, state, or national entity that operates the technical infrastructure for health data exchange. In the United States, there are over 100 operational HIEs, ranging from small community exchanges to large statewide networks. Examples include the Commonwell Health Alliance, Carequality (an interoperability framework), and state-designated HIEs like the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY).
HIE is a core requirement of the 21st Century Cures Act, which prohibits information blocking and mandates that certified health IT support standardized data exchange. The ONC has also established the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) as a national-level governance framework for HIE — creating a “network of networks” that enables any participating HIE to exchange data with any other.
In simple terms: HIE is how health data moves between organizations — the infrastructure and process that ensures your doctor can see what happened at the hospital, and the hospital can see what your doctor prescribed.
How HIE Works in Healthcare
HIE enables three primary models of health data exchange, each designed for different use cases.
Real-world HIE workflows include:
Key HIE Standards and Specifications
Implementation Considerations
Connecting to an HIE involves technical integration, legal agreements, identity management, and ongoing operational maintenance.
HIPAA and state privacy law compliance. HIE involves sharing protected health information across organizational boundaries. Participation agreements, business associate agreements, consent management, minimum necessary standards, and audit logging must all be in place. States with stricter-than-HIPAA privacy laws (New York, California, Texas) impose additional requirements.
How Taction Helps with HIE
At Taction, our integration team connects healthcare organizations to HIE networks — building the technical interfaces, identity management, and consent infrastructure that reliable health data exchange requires.
What we do:
Whether you’re connecting to your first HIE, expanding participation across multiple networks, or preparing for TEFCA, our healthcare interoperability team delivers the integration precision these connections demand.