Engagements, Demand Growing for HIE Consulting Services

    OREM, UT, July 19, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Providers are voicing a need for outside resources to help them as they launch new health information exchanges (HIEs) or navigate their inclusion in existing HIEs. However, hospital executives and clinic administrators are struggling to differentiate between the 13 firms offering HIE consulting in this emerging market. That's the latest finding according to the KLAS Brief "HIE Consulting Services: Leveraging Third-Party Expertise for HIE Success."

"HIE consulting firms are being chosen based primarily on providers' prior relationships with the firms, the firms' reputation for having high healthcare and regulatory expertise, or the HIE vendors' recommendations," said Erik Westerlind, author of the report.

Engagements with firms such as Accenture, CSC, CTG, Deloitte, Harris, Impact Advisors, J2, maxIT, Peer Consulting, PwC, Orchestrate, Vitalize, and Xerox are examined in the research. Providers explain the type of work their consultants perform for them--including strategic, operational, regulatory, hosting, and IT outsourcing work--as well as how the vendors perform. Not surprisingly, the scope of the services and specialization offered and the breadth of HIE experience set some vendors apart from others.

Additionally, providers are engaging third-party consulting firms in public HIEs more often than in private HIEs. That could partially be the result of the complexity of navigating government regulations and bringing public HIE stakeholders to a consensus. Vendors are looking to accelerate their involvement in HIE and accountable care organization planning by aligning into partnerships.

This HIE consulting services brief introduces a new KLAS publication format designed to educate the healthcare industry in a short, concise report. The new publication format will range from two to five pages, and purchasing organizations will also receive a webinar that delves deeper into the purchased study's findings.

To learn more about HIE consulting services or purchase the HIE Consulting Services KLAS Brief and accompanying webinar access, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com/KLASreports. Healthcare providers receive a significant discount off the standard retail price.

About KLAS
KLAS is a research firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by enabling providers to be heard and be counted. Working with thousands of healthcare executives and clinicians, KLAS gathers data on software, services, medical equipment, and infrastructure systems, to deliver timely reports, trends, and statistical overviews. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Founded in 1996, KLAS staff and advisory board average 25 years of healthcare information technology experience. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com, email [email protected], or call 1-800-920-4109 to speak with a KLAS representative. Follow KLAS on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KLASresearch.

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