WASHINGTON – The eHealth Initiative has released its "Fifth Annual Survey of Health Information Exchange at the State and Local Levels," a survey of 130 community-based initiatives in 48 states, showing significant advances in healthcare information exchanges (HIEs).

At a briefing Thursday hosted by the eHealth Initiative, Robert Kolodner, MD, the Department of Health and Human Services' National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and other leaders expressed satisfaction with the tangible evidence of progress the report provided.

Kolodner said healthcare IT has "without question" changed and will continue to change over time. The use of electronic health records by providers has become more routine, he said, and personal health records are emerging.

Kolodner said the federal government needs to continue to drive healthcare IT adoption and interoperability. Healthcare IT needs to be combined with other aspects of reform, such as those promoted by the HHS value-driven healthcare initiative, he said.

Janet Marchibroda, CEO of the eHealth Initiative, said this year's survey shows a 30 percent increase in the number of operational HIEs over last year.

"We are making a lot of progress and I'm very excited," she said. "We're seeing some real impact and getting some results."