While designing, selecting, implementing, and managing a Health Information Exchange (HIE) is a technology-oriented initiative, the ultimate goal of the Enterprise Health Information Exchange (Enterprise HIE) is to improve the quality of care for patients across a given geographic area, reduce the costs of providing quality care for the buyers and enable clinicians in their care processes.

Enterprise HIE is driven by true healthcare needs. The key drivers of Enterprise HIE include:

• Ensuring appropriate care is given at the correct time
• Promoting preventive medicine
• Avoiding inaccurate person identification for services
• A self-sustaining business model for Enterprise HIE
• Decreased reliance on paper
• Allowing physician practices to focus on core competencies
• Electronically moving clinical information among disparate systems
• Improving continuity of care with multiple providers
• Leveraging government focus

A successful Enterprise HIE must be secure, accurate, dependable, appropriate and responsive to the need of the users of this clinical information to ensure that appropriate care is delivered.