With states mandated to operate interoperable health
insurance portals by 2014, Microsoft
has rolled out the infrastructure for its state HIX (health insurance exchange)
platform, the company announced on Feb. 8.
While an HIE (health information exchange) allows health
care providers to exchange EHRs (electronic medical records), an HIX is an
online market for purchasing health insurance plans, notes Dave Meyers, chief
technology strategist for Microsoft’s U.S. public sector health care and
social services group.
“It’s less about pushing clinical records around and
more about offering a marketplace to purchase health insurance,” Meyers
told eWEEK.
Components of the HIX platform include interoperable exchanges, as well as applications for enrollment, eligibility, business intelligence
and case coordination, Microsoft reports. The HIX will also reduce the cost of delivering
health care and boost care quality and efficiency.
Among the partners the software giant will work with on HIX is Extend Health, which operates a large
private Medicare insurance exchange. Extend Health will contribute plan-comparison tools as well as enrollment and call center functionality, Microsoft reports.
For more, read the eWeek article: Microsoft Launches State Health Insurance Exchange Platform.