[commandar]

As somebody working in healthcare integration, this may be small consolation, but it that's getting better.

The HITECH act[1] (which was part of the stimulus package in 2009) has gone a long way in getting the industry moving. One of the core deadlines we're scrambling to meet at the moment at my hospital is actually data interchange between facilities, including a portal that allows patients to access their records for themselves.

I realize that doesn't help your situation now, but with Medicare penalties looming for not getting that sort of exchange in place, things are starting to happen quickly in an industry that tends to move at a snail's pace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HITECH_Act#Electronic_Health_Re...

[HillRat]

Out of curiosity, which HL7 CDAs (and which levels) do you support, and how much lift is it to set up import/export for a new provider or institution?

I'm pessimistic that we'll be able to achieve true level 3 interoperability, even though the basic ontologies (e.g., SNOMED, LOINC, etc) are in place. I'd love to hear that you're having a good experience, though.

[commandar]

Honestly, that end of things is kind of out of my element; I'm mostly involved in the message plumbing side of things.

Our actual HIE integration has been contracted out to Relay Health/McKesson. They're promising the world, but we're not far enough along for me to say whether they'll actually deliver at this point.