The Law of Tax-Exempt Healthcare Organizations, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Other Health-Related Organizations

• § 19.5 Regional Health Information Organizations (New)

p. 400. Insert following existing material:

§ 19.5 REGIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION ORGANIZATIONS (NEW)

In 2009, Congress passed innovative legislation designed to promote the development of health information technology in the exchange of patient health information by providing funding for states to establish health information exchanges.²⁴ A primary vehicle for health information exchange is the regional health information organization (RHIO). RHIOs operate for the purpose of facilitating the exchange of electronic health records (EHRs) among hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare stakeholders within a particular geographic region with the ultimate goal of improving healthcare in that region. As a result of this legislation, the government estimates that approximately 90 percent of doctors and 70 percent of hospitals will be using comprehensive electronic health records within the next decade. From a tax exemption perspective, the overall purpose of these records exchange programs is the promotion of health: improvement of the delivery of healthcare services and patient outcomes.

Under the HITECH Act, Congress expressly recognized that facilitating health information exchange in technology is critical to enhancing healthcare delivery and reducing healthcare costs. In the legislative history of the HITECH Act, it is acknowledged that health information exchange organizations ...