What’s Next in HIE Technology

Driving innovation through smarter technology, strong partnerships, and real-world application.
By Brad Hesler, Vice President of Technology Services

Traditional health information exchange (HIE) systems were designed to exchange data between established systems, using established formats and connections. There’s no denying that this model has been successful, connecting providers with important clinical information at the point of care while creating valuable data assets for analytics. It was an important first step in advancing interoperability.

But it also comes with challenges: technological inflexibility, limited regional scope, and significant effort required from HIEs, EHRs, and data contributors to establish and maintain duplicative connections. We saw pretty quickly that sustaining the value HIEs provide today and meeting the needs of tomorrow would require technology that can adapt as healthcare and public health evolve.

Tech Strategies for Local Support and Statewide Impact

The future of health information technology is increasingly being built on FHIR-based standards and cloud-based technologies. These technologies give us more flexibility to connect varied systems, move information, and develop new capabilities without being constrained by legacy infrastructure.

That thinking is at the center of our technology strategy at HealtheConnections. We’ve put data at the core of our platform and built flexible cloud- and FHIR-based technologies around it. We launched our new data-centric, cloud-based HIE platform in late 2025 and have continued to enhance the portal while maintaining strong performance and stability across core HIE services.

The real value of that approach is becoming clearer as the technology starts supporting opportunities beyond our regional HIE.

Last year, HealtheConnections was awarded the contract to design, develop, and implement the Primary Document Repository (PDR) for the SHIN-NY. Still in its early stages, the PDR is a cornerstone of the future of New York State’s health data infrastructure. The PDR is a centralized repository of clinical documents serving all of New York State via all QEs, and one of the first major milestones in making the SHIN-NY truly statewide.

Built using cloud-native technology and FHIR standards, the PDR creates a foundation for increasing interoperability and making clinical information more accessible across organizations and technologies, regardless of traditional regional boundaries. Its architecture also creates opportunities for future statewide capabilities that extend beyond what is possible for end users today.

That’s important because the technology we invest in needs to work for the organizations using it now while giving us room to respond to what comes next. For statewide stakeholders as well as the local providers, small organizations, and community-based partners who rely on HIE services every day, that can mean greater access to information, more choice and flexibility, and a more sustainable approach to health information exchange.

Cross-Sector Partnerships Deliver Results

Technology is only part of the equation. We’ve found that some of the best solutions come from bringing together organizations with different strengths, perspectives, and expertise around a shared goal.

HealtheConnections was one of the SHIN-NY Qualified Entities contracted to provide SHIN-NY Statewide Encounter Alerts (SEAS). We chose to leverage PointClickCare’s industry-leading platform and established user portal, combining their technology with our statewide HIE connectivity and expertise.

The result is a statewide service that gives healthcare organizations timely encounter alerts through a modern, scalable technology platform. It’s also a good example of how we approach technology more broadly: build on what we do well, partner where others bring complementary expertise, and make the most of investments that are already working.

What’s Next

Our investment in FHIR, cloud-based infrastructure, and data-centric technology gives us considerably more flexibility as new needs and opportunities emerge across the SHIN-NY.

Some of those opportunities are already taking shape, while others are still being explored. We’ll share more as they develop, but the direction is clear: we’re building a technology foundation that can support the next generation of health information exchange.