Health information exchanges (HIEs), picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) have come a long way in allowing medical facilities to share valuable information between the physicians, radiologists and other specialists that work hard to provide the best quality of care possible to their patients.
First off, the information must be capable of being shared securely when needed to the people who are 
authorized to see it. A recent report from IDC Health Insights says that the IT departments at healthcare facilities have been seeking out quality platforms that can deliver on this. In fact, executives from HIEs have for more than two years been focused on sharing information between health organizations with more efficiency.
Years ago, it was commonplace for a patient to see one doctor and one doctor only. Today, it’s not unusual for a patient, especially one with serious health issues, to be referred to several specialists. Their information, including their medical images, is shared between doctors. The best HIEs will take this into account and make the process of sharing this information, whether it’s across campus or across the state, much easier for healthcare professionals.
HIEs were once relegated to government-funded projects built for an entire region. The focus has changed to the enterprise market where private exchanges are competing against each other. The best HIE platforms have a few things in common. These HIEs are built so users have an access to them through Web services and APIs. They also have excellent support services; training and modular software bundled into the solution.
The best HIE includes technology that integrates well with other systems, includes mobile connectivity options and can store data with excellent security measures, including disaster recovery. Data analytics should be a part of every quality HIE, as should a fair price.
One of the most important aspects that healthcare professionals take into account when shopping for an HIE is the inclusion of business development tools. These tools are important because they give doctors and technicians the support they need to measure performance metrics. Business development tools are also mandatory for offering care coordination from caregiver to caregiver.
Some companies have faced operational and implementation issues with the HIE of choice. Privacy concerns have also held many healthcare agencies back when considering a cloud-based service, but reputable companies will partner with data centers that offer only the highest level of security.
The best HIE platforms available today include those that can handle complex technology, data aggregation, identity access management, patient/provider identification and a robust presentation layer.
OffSite Image Management, Inc., built an HIE under the fundamental premise that image sharing is one of the most important aspects of radiology services. OffSite professionals built Honeycomb, a robust software layer that connects disparate digital silos that makes data available from healthcare facility to healthcare facility. Using Honeycomb as the conduit, healthcare professionals are working together to offer better care to their patients.