Michigan’s HIE, MiHIN, is partnering with Smile Digital Health to enhance health data exchange. Using Smile’s Health Data Fabric, they aim to establish an open standards ecosystem for secure and scalable interoperability. This move supports MiHIN’s growth and aids Velatura’s national HIE network. The focus on meaningful data sharing and seamless integration aligns with MiHIN’s goals, marking a significant step in healthcare data exchange and patient care improvement.
Michigan’s designated Health Information Exchange (HIE) in collaboration with health IT provider Smile Digital Health is embracing innovative solutions to enhance interoperability and scalability in health information management.
Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN), recognized as the state’s non-profit HIE, has entered into a partnership with Smile Digital Health, a health IT vendor, to drive the advancement of health information exchange interoperability throughout the state.
Functioning as Michigan’s primary HIE, MiHIN is poised to harness the capabilities of Smile’s Health Data Fabric (HDF) to create an ecosystem built upon open standards. This ecosystem will prioritize robust privacy, security, and scalability, all of which are critical elements in augmenting the services’ interoperability.
The adoption of this approach is projected to not only enhance MiHIN’s growth but also have a positive impact on the nationwide subsidiary HIE network managed by Velatura Public Benefit Corporation. MiHIN and Velatura are committed to utilizing the Health Data Fabric to propel various data-sharing scenarios. This includes supporting Velatura’s gateway hub as an integral component of the larger national Patient-Centered Data Home (PCDH) initiative.
Tim Pletcher, DHA, the Executive Director of MiHIN, emphasized the pivotal role of open standards in facilitating meaningful health data exchange. He highlighted the significance of breaking down data silos and establishing seamless integration between data and healthcare services. Pletcher lauded Smile’s dedication to open standards, which strongly aligns with MiHIN’s mission to foster a forward-looking and responsive HIE, enabling the smooth assimilation of valuable data, real-time quality assessments, clinical insights at the point of care, and more.
MiHIN’s preference for Smile’s platform stems from its event-driven design, enabling instantaneous data exchange and updates. Additionally, the platform’s foundation on open standards is well-suited to support interoperability.
Shane McNamee, MD, Chief Growth Officer at Smile Digital Health, underscored the pivotal role of high-quality data and insights in ensuring positive outcomes for patient and population health. McNamee lauded MiHIN’s operational approach and equitable business models, considering them an ideal match for Smile’s FHIR data platform. This platform facilitates the secure and timely delivery of contextualized information, catering to patients’ preferred care settings.
McNamee further emphasized that this strategic move positions MiHIN to accommodate escalating data volumes, driven by the mounting demands associated with their collaboration with Velatura. The shift towards a next-generation HIE is anticipated to significantly enhance healthcare data exchange and overall patient care. Smile Digital Health takes pride in contributing substantially to MiHIN’s ongoing digital transformation.
