HIE Architecture Models
Health Information Exchange refers to the mobilizing of the clinical information electronically in an institution within a healthcare facility, society, or region. Health Information Exchange architecture models make it possible for clinical data to be transferred among various information frameworks in a health care facility. According to Treku and Xiao (2018), the three main models include the centralized model, the decentralized model, and the hybrid model. The centralized module stores all information in one data store and links some health providers, payers, and health information sources via a single main information pool. The centralized model is simple and highly effective and it aggregates data for multiple sources, as all information is stored in a single repository and managed by a central power. However, placing all the data in one database is highly risky and costly and leads to logistic challenges and an increased chance of duplicating health records. If the centralized model is compromised, a lot of information can be exposed, and this is hugely inconvenient for a health facility.
The federated or decentralized model allows health data to be stored at the point of service, allowing the clinical professionals to control the patient’s record. There must be an agreement between the health providers and the other institutions for one to be a member and access the data. The question of data ownership in this model is therefore eradicated and thus it allows health data exchange to link effectively with the active participants. The decentralized model also curbs the potential challenges relating to the security and privacy of storing data in one pool (Ziminski et al., 2016). A decentralized model also boosts the effectiveness of the entire health framework and ensures it does not collapse in case the healthcare providers suffer technical challenges. The main disadvantage of this model, however, is inadequate security and privacy as data is not maintained in a single pool. Pooling information from this model is also challenging and time-consuming, as the institutions must ensure that an individual trying to seek patients’ data has the authority to do so.
The third model for health data exchanges is the hybrid model that encompasses both the centralized and decentralized models. Most healthcare facilities choose to employ the hybrid model as it is capable of availing primary care management and coordination tools for health management, unlike the decentralized and centralized models. The hybrid framework also enables the stratification of risks, healthcare analytics, and health-related research. Treku and Xiao (2018) further argue that the main advantage of using the hybrid model is that it presented many outlets for accessing and storing health data, in case one system breaks down. The other benefit is that one can vary and stagger the access to health information and the system work more effectively for the patients. The main disadvantage of this model, however, is that the many outlets present the possibility of an information breach. The model also requires long working hours to access the files. Finally, the legal control of these files is sophisticated, and thus the health institutions should know their legal duties and align them with the federal specifications.
In conclusion, there are three models for health information exchange namely the centralized, decentralized, and hybrid model. The three models allow the electronic transfer of information across various healthcare institutions. The three models enable data to be effectively stored and owned, which boosts the entire clinical operations.
References
Treku, D. N., & Xiao, N. (2018). Motivating Health Information Exchange Use as a Formative
Construct for Measuring Quality of IT-Enabled Healthcare Delivery.
Ziminski, T. B., Demurjian, S. A., Sanzi, E., Baihan, M., & Agresta, T. (2016). An Architectural
Solution for Health Information Exchange. International Journal of User-Driven
Healthcare (IJUDH), 6(1), 65-103.