Health Information Exchange

What it means

Health Information Exchange, or HIE, refers to secure systems that help participating providers share relevant medical information for treatment, coordination, and related healthcare operations. When used appropriately, this can help reduce duplicate testing and give clinicians a fuller picture of recent care.

For kidney patients, shared information can be especially useful when office care, hospital care, lab testing, and specialist care all overlap.

Privacy and questions

HIE is designed to use secure methods and privacy safeguards, and access should be limited to authorized users for permitted purposes. If you have questions about how your information may be shared or what choices are available, your care team and privacy materials are the best place to start.