Health information exchange: metrics to address quality of care and return on investment.

The purpose of this study was to find out how many health information exchanges (HIEs) are using metrics to gauge their impact and to gather examples of metrics being used by HIEs. We administered a web-based survey to a list of functioning HIEs. Valid responses were received from 18 HIEs. Most respondents were nonprofits, most had sustainable business models, and half used metrics to gauge their impact. Reduction of duplicative testing, quality improvement efforts, care coordination, and improved readmission rates were cited as having the greatest potential to show return on investment. Most respondents selected patient-centered care as having the greatest potential to show quality improvement. The major limitation of this study is the low response rate. This study suggests that there are no standard metrics used by HIEs to evaluate their impact. The HIE community needs to take the lead in developing metrics to evaluate the benefits of information exchange.