Optimizing EHR and HIE Integration
From Data Overload to Streamlined Workflows
In today’s data-driven health care environment, electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchanges (HIEs) must work seamlessly to provide clinicians with actionable, real-time data while minimizing information overload.
At the 2024 Civitas Annual Conference, health care leaders Marc Rabner, Danny Lee, and Jenn Searls shared how their organizations – Luminis Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Connie (partnering with Yale New Haven Health) respectively– are transforming EHR and HIE integration to enhance provider workflows and improve patient outcomes.
Too Much Tech, Too Little Time
For primary care providers (PCPs) and specialists, the challenge isn’t just data overload—it’s technology overload. Navigating multiple apps, software systems, and portals to access HIE data adds complexity to already burdened workflows.
To solve this, health systems are focusing on in-workflow integrations that streamline access to relevant data directly within the EHR. By reducing the number of user-facing technologies, clinicians can engage with information more efficiently, receiving the right insights at the right time without added noise.
Innovative Approaches to EHR-HIE Integration
As health care systems continue to refine EHR and HIE integration, the focus has shifted toward streamlining provider workflows and ensuring clinicians have timely access to critical patient data. While HIEs provide a vast amount of valuable information, the challenge lies in delivering the right data at the right time, without overwhelming clinicians with excessive alerts or unnecessary complexity.
To address this, leading health systems are implementing advanced integration strategies that seamlessly incorporate HIE data into EHR workflows, reducing inefficiencies and enhancing care coordination. From automated charting and imaging integrations to clinical decision support tools, these innovations are helping provider reduce redundant testing, minimize administrative burden, and improve patient outcomes.
Below are some of the most impactful advancements in EHR-HIE integration, highlighting how organizations like Luminis Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Connie (in partnership with Yale New Haven Health) are transforming the way clinicians interact with health data.
Smarter Charting Integrations
One of the most significant advancements discussed was automated charting integrations, which allow HIE imaging data to be directly pulled into a patient’s EHR chart. This innovation is reducing duplicate tests, improving care coordination, and streamlining clinical workflows.
Image Exchange at the Point of Ordering
Through a novel imaging integration, providers can see if an existing image is available in the HIE before ordering new tests. This not only eliminates unnecessary imaging but also reduces health care costs and administrative burden.
Clinical Decision Support (CDS Hooks) Integration
Connie has been leveraging CDS Hooks to integrate HIE insights into provider workflows, offering real-time decision support without disrupting clinical efficiency.
While this work has just kicked off, outcomes and data will be shared soon.
Streamlining Clinical Workflows to Support Public Health Priorities
By optimizing EHR and HIE integration, health systems such as Luminis Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Yale New Haven Health aimed to improve Maryland’s public health efforts around opioid overdose prevention. Since the launch, there have been improvements in:
- Reducing duplicate testing results, saving time and resources
- Enhancing patient experiences by giving care teams access to a more complete and accurate health record
- Minimizing cognitive burden on clinicians by delivering only the most relevant patient data
- Supporting critical public health initiatives—such as Maryland’s Statewide
- Targeted Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act—by embedding real-time HIE alerts directly into provider workflows
Leaders from CRISP and Luminis Health will present at the upcoming NACCHO 360 event, sharing how smart integrations between EHRs and HIEs can power compliance, reduce technology fatigue, and ultimately save lives. This integration model serves as a replicable example of how health IT infrastructure can align provider workflows with pressing public health priorities—without increasing burden on clinical teams.
Striking the Balance Between Data Access and Burden
One of the biggest challenges in HIE and EHR integration is ensuring that providers receive timely, essential information, without overwhelming them with excessive alerts or requiring additional clicks in and out of the EHR.
Connie, for example, has been incorporating image exchange capabilities into its provider workflows while ensuring a seamless experience that minimizes unnecessary disruptions.
The Future of EHR and HIE Integration
As more health systems refine how HIE data integrates into EHRs, the goal remains clear: provide clinicians with the information they need to make informed decisions, while reducing unnecessary complexity.
Moving forward, we can expect to see:
- Clinical decision support tools to optimize HIE data usage in EHRs, which may eventually be driven by AI.
- Further refinement of notification systems to reduce alert fatigue.
- Expansion of imaging exchange capabilities across more health systems.
By leveraging HIE data effectively, health care organizations can enhance patient care, streamline provider workflows, and drive efficiency in care delivery. The innovations discussed at the Civitas Annual Conference 2024 highlight the importance of continuous advancements in EHR and HIE integration, ensuring that data remains an asset, not a burden.
For more conversations on this topic, please consider attending the Civitas 2025 Annual Conference.
