Ask Your EHR Vendor About HIE Capabilities

There are EHR products on the market that have information exchange capabilities. If that is the route you choose, here are some sample questions to ask your vendor (provided by the ONC):

• Do you have health information exchange (HIE) capabilities with your EHR?

• What privacy and security features does your product currently provide and support?

• What form of exchange does your EHR support?

• What are the costs associated with upgrading to include HIE within your EHR?

• What are the maintenance/monthly costs of including HIE with your EHR?

• If you don't have HIE functionality, do you plan to integrate HIE into your EHR?