A framework for assessing patient crossover and health information exchange value

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the benefit of a health information exchange (HIE) between hospitals, we examine the rate of crossover among neurosurgical inpatients treated at Emory University Hospital (EUH) and Grady Memorial Hospital (GMH) in Atlanta, Georgia. To inform decisions regarding investment in HIE, we develop a methodology analyzing crossover behavior for application to larger more general patient populations. DESIGN Using neurosurgery inpatient visit data from EUH and GMH, unique patients who visited both hospitals were identified through classification by name and age at time of visit. The frequency of flow patterns, including time between visits, and the statistical significance of crossover rates for patients with particular diagnoses were determined. MEASUREMENTS The time between visits, flow patterns, and proportion of patients exhibiting crossover behavior were calculated for the total population studied as well as subpopulations. RESULTS 5.25% of patients having multiple visits over the study period visited the neurosurgical departments at both hospitals. 77% of crossover patients visited the level 1 trauma center (GMH) before visiting EUH. LIMITATIONS The true patient crossover may be under-estimated because the study population only consists of neurosurgical inpatients at EUH and GMH. CONCLUSION We demonstrate that detailed analysis of crossover behavior provides a deeper understanding of the potential value of HIE.