The health data utility and the resurgence of health information exchanges as a national resource.

Abstract

(1) Describe the evolution of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) into Health Data Utilities (HDUs); (2) Provide motivation for HDUs as a public strategic investment target. We examine trends in developing HIEs into HDUs and compare their criticality to that of the national highway system as an investment in the public good. We propose that investment in HDUs is essential for our nation's healthcare data ecosystem. This investment will address the increased need for healthcare delivery and public health data. HDUs can meet the current and future needs of healthcare delivery and public health surveillance. Their structure and capabilities will underpin their success to support data-driven decision-making. Transforming HIEs into HDUs is essential to realizing the vision of a distributed and connected healthcare data system. Public funding is critical for this model's success, similar to the continued investment in the national highway system.