Spotlight on State Exchange: Kentucky KHIE

The Kentucky Health Information Exchange, also known as KHIE, is a health information system that is providing interoperability between physicians, hospitals, imaging centers, and laboratories throughout the state. The KHIE system is HIPAA compliant and meets all nationally recognized standards for security and privacy. After the establishment of the Governor’s Office of Electronic Health Information, originating from an Executive Order in 2009, KHIE was initially funded through the ONC’s State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program, a HITECH Act initative. The flexibility of the Exchange’s infrastructure makes it easy for providers, regardless of what health records system they are operating with, to engage in health information exchange and achieve Meaningful Use.

Current Goals of the KHIE are:

• Add as many providers to this network as possible
• Improve the overall health, quality of care, and safety of healthcare for the residents of Kentucky and its visitors
• As a public good, this service shall supersede technical, business, and bureaucratic barriers to improve population health
• Provide functionality and flexibility for Meaningful Use

Benefits of the KHIE system are:

1. Provides a common, secure infrastructure for the sharing of health information across provider centers
2. Connectivity to the Nationwide Health Information Network will support interstate information exchange
3. Patient centered care that will improve quality of care, reduction in medical errors, and a more efficient use of health care expenditures

To read the full document and for updated information on the progress of KHIE, read the Kentucky Strategic and Operational Plan for Health Information Exchange.

Organizational Documents

• Strategic and Operational Plans – Current operational plan for KHIE
• KHIE State Plan Summary – Overview, models, and services
• Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Provider User Manual – State Medicaid EHR Incentive Program

Latest News: On 3/11/13- KHIE and NeHC Encourage Use of CeRT To Accelerate Patient Engagement. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and NeHC, the  National eHealth Collaborative, announced that they will be working more closely with the KHIE to increase patient engagement. The release emphasizes that consumer engagement will, “make sure consumers are informed and playing an active role in their health care” which is a vital component of health care reform. The release also outlines how engagement is a critical component of qualifying for Stage 2 Meaningful Use incentives, which are vital to the progress of Kentucky’s reform efforts.

Organizational Profile

State- Kentucky
Name- Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE)
Established- 2009
Provider Information- http://khie.ky.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Combine.pdf
Website- http://khie.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx