WASHINGTON, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC) today announced that three new members have joined the organization, including the Connecticut Health Information Exchange (Connie), Big Sky Care Connect of Montana and Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC).

These new members represent a cross-section of healthcare across the United States. They will benefit from SHIEC’s advocacy on behalf of member organizations to ensure their needs are represented in nationwide conversations about critical healthcare issues including health IT, health data sharing and stewardship.

“At its center, Connie is about patients receiving the best possible healthcare, providing continuity in medical information and providing secure, timely treatment for Connecticut residents,” said Executive Director Jennifer Searls of Connie. “We’re excited to join the SHIEC network to collaborate and learn from other HIEs nationwide to bring best practices and services to Connecticut.”

“Established in 2004 as the nation’s first statewide biomedical and bioinformatics research collaborative of its type, we are committed to transforming public health and economic well-being through clinical research, population health, quality, and data exchange initiatives across the Carolinas and beyond” said Kenneth R. Deans Jr., President & CEO of Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC). “Becoming a member of SHIEC helps us engage and collaborate with others nationwide to do so much more quickly and efficiently.”

“Ninety-five percent of the U.S. population is served by America’s health information exchanges (HIEs) which are SHIEC members,” said SHIEC Interim CEO Lisa Bari. “These new members show that HIEs are growing and serving more and more people at the regional, state and local levels.”

HIEs play a critical role in connecting communities, from ensuring patient records are available from all the top electronic health record systems to community connections with pharmacies, labs, behavioral health, and state and federal agencies. As value-based healthcare brings more focus to patients’ social needs, HIEs are providing critical infrastructure in connections to organizations such as blood banks, social service agencies, dialysis centers, first responders, state and county correctional health, school nurses, and drug and alcohol treatment centers.

Limited space is available for the 2021 SHIEC Annual Conference event in Scottsdale, Ariz., from Aug. 15-18, 2021. Virtual options are offered for those who cannot attend in person. Information and registration are available here.

About SHIEC
SHIEC is the national collaborative of health information exchanges (HIEs) and strategic business and technology partners. As the unbiased data trustees in their communities, SHIEC’s 80+ member HIE organizations manage and provide for the secure digital exchange of data by medical, behavioral and social service providers to improve the health of the communities they serve. Collectively, SHIEC members serve 95% of the U.S. population.

For more information about SHIEC, visit info@strategichie.com and follow them on Twitter at @SHIEClive.