Impact of Health Disclosure Laws on Health Information Exchanges

Health information exchanges (HIEs) are expected to facilitate collaboration between healthcare entities and improve efficiency and quality of care through enhanced information sharing capabilities. Privacy concerns have been consistently cited as one of the primary challenges to HIE development and adoption. Currently, it is unclear how privacy laws – in particular, legislation restricting the disclosure of health records – have impacted the adoption of HIEs intended to facilitate sharing of health information. This study explores the landscape of health privacy legislation at the State level and examines the impact of variations in such privacy and confidentiality laws across the United States on the progress of HIEs.