HIMSS: IHE implementation challenging, but doable and valuable

Two experts who shared their experiences on implementing Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) profiles for health information exchanges (HIEs) confirmed the utility and value of IHE profiles during the “Experiences Implementing IHE Profiles in the Real World” educational session held Feb. 23 at the 2011 annual meeting of the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

John DeStefano, MBA, chief integration officer at Hartford Hospital in Conn., drew on the hospital’s experiences with internal and external HIEs during the last three years, as he identified key challenges for information exchange, challenges addressed and introduced by IHE profiles and reflected on the "build versus buy" and "acquire through open source" debate.

DeStefano admitted that governance, not technology, is one of the largest challenges and accounted for the lengthy planning period. Another key challenge came on the staffing front as his staff of three was stretched “far too thin” during the dual HIE implementation period.