The Florida Health Information Exchange (Florida HIE) enhances the quality, speed, and safety of patient care by ensuring clinicians have timely electronic access to essential health information. By replacing outdated processes like faxing or relying on patient recall, the Florida HIE enables faster, better‑informed clinical decisions. Its real‑time Event Notification Service (ENS) further strengthens patient support by alerting providers when their patients are admitted, discharged, or transferred, helping care teams engage quickly, reduce hospital readmissions, and ensure appropriate follow‑up.

The Florida HIE also plays a pivotal role in improving care coordination across the state. By securely connecting hospitals, providers, and payers, it gives care teams a more complete picture of a patient’s health. The exchange of data allows clinicians to search for records across local, state, and national networks, filling gaps in fragmented histories and preventing redundant tests or procedures. This streamlined data access also reduces burdens on patients, who no longer need to carry medication lists, imaging discs, or detailed medical histories from appointment to appointment.

At a systemwide level, the Florida HIE supports public health reporting, reduces healthcare costs, minimizes medication and diagnostic errors, and contributes to better health outcomes. These benefits are delivered within a strong privacy and security framework: the HIE meets or exceeds HIPAA and HITECH standards and limits access to authorized users through secure, confidential data-sharing practices. Together, these capabilities make the Florida HIE a foundational tool for advancing coordinated, efficient, and patient‑centered care across the state.

The Florida Health Information Exchange (Florida HIE) protects patient health information through a comprehensive framework of privacy, security, and legal safeguards. Its operations are governed by federal laws such as HIPAA and the HITECH Act, as well as state-level protections under the Florida Information Protection Act (FIPA). These regulations ensure that all electronic health information is encrypted, safeguarded, and monitored, while the Florida HIE itself enforces strict medical privacy and confidentiality procedures to ensure that data is only shared appropriately and lawfully.

A core element of the Florida HIE’s approach is ensuring that only legally authorized users can access or exchange patient information. Access is restricted to those directly involved in patient care or operations as permitted by law, and all connections must use secure authentication and technical safeguards to prevent unauthorized entry. At the same time, the Florida HIE preserves a patient’s control over their own information—allowing individuals to authorize, restrict, or inquire about who can view their data, reinforcing trust while enabling coordinated, high‑quality care.

Beyond compliance with federal and state standards, the Florida HIE incorporates additional layers of security within its technical infrastructure. This includes secure transmission channels, robust access tracking and auditing, and the ability to segment or limit data sharing based on need. These protections ensure that personal health information remains secure even amid high‑volume, statewide data exchange, creating a resilient environment that supports both patient privacy and improved care outcomes.

The Florida Health Information Exchange (Florida HIE) delivers statewide services that enable the secure, reliable sharing of patient health information to improve care coordination, quality, and overall system efficiency. Governed by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the Florida HIE ensures that hospitals, providers, payers, and public health agencies can exchange critical data in real time, supporting faster and better‑informed clinical decisions. Through its Event Notification Service (ENS), the Florida HIE sends immediate alerts when patients are admitted, discharged, or transferred, using ADT data received from more than 700 facilities across the state. This allows care teams to respond quickly, reduce avoidable readmissions, and ensure patients receive timely follow‑up care.

In addition to real‑time event alerts, the Florida HIE strengthens continuity of care through its Patient Record Exchange (PRE), which enables providers to retrieve patient information from many clinical data sources at the local, state, and national levels. By connecting to networks such as eHealth Exchange, the PRE helps reduce duplication of tests, fill gaps in fragmented medical histories, and ensure that clinicians always have the information needed at the point of care. These services also play a key role in statewide public health efforts, improving patient safety, quality outcomes, and systemwide efficiency by linking hospitals, clinics, physicians, payers, and public health agencies.

All of this work is grounded in Florida’s legal and regulatory framework. Under the Florida Electronic Health Records Exchange Act, the Florida HIE must meet requirements for secure data sharing, enforce mandatory participation for certain facilities—such as hospitals using certified EHR technology—and operate under the administrative authority of AHCA. Together, these policies and services make the Florida HIE an essential component of a more integrated, responsive, and high-quality healthcare system across the state.

Most states have a health information exchange (HIE). An HIE is a trusted, secure organization that enables health information to be shared, in compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, across health care providers and others who support a person’s overall health.

Instead of data being siloed in separate systems, an HIE ensures health information (such as lab results, discharge summaries, medications, and care plans) flows responsibly across care settings to those designated and allowed to receive it, supporting whole-person care, reducing fragmentation, and enabling better outcomes for individuals, communities, and populations.

The Florida Health Information Exchange (Florida HIE) is the statewide system that enables the secure electronic exchange of health information among healthcare providers, hospitals, payers, and public health agencies. It facilitates secure, reliable sharing of patient health information to improve care coordination, quality, safety, and overall efficiency across Florida’s healthcare system.

Its creation and governance operate within the legal framework established by the Florida Electronic Health Records Exchange Act, which mandates secure sharing of health data and assigns administrative authority to AHCA.

The Florida HIE is governed by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). However, it is powered and operated by CRISP Shared Services (CSS) which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This structure ensures that patient health data is held by a private not-for-profit entity with regulations by the state.

Most integrations with the platform are either HL7 or CSV. However we can accommodate, if needed, web-based connectivity. More information about integrations and for sample files, please visit, Onboarding Resources – Florida HIE.

CRISP Shared Services’s PatientMatch system is a sophisticated Master Patient Index (MPI) designed to accurately match patient records submitted by healthcare organizations across regions. The system evaluates demographic data across 9 attributes using weighted scoring to calculate match probability.

Both active (current) and inactive (historical) demographic values are stored, ensuring that even outdated information from a source can still be connected to the correct patient record. Required data elements include a unique source ID code, MRN, patient name, and date of birth, while additional demographic fields can strengthen match accuracy.

When clinicians query the Florida HIE, powered by CSS, the system returns all highscoring matches to help ensure the correct patient is selected, especially when multiple individuals appear nearly identical in the data.

Conversely, results will appear if a patient has formally opted out of data sharing but there will be no data associated—as permitted under state law—or if an entity is placed in “overlay” status due to conflicting demographic information submitted by a source. As permitted under state law pertains to those mandated public reporting like PDMP (prescription drug monitoring programs.)

CSS utilizes the MPI to ensure data accuracy and seamlessly reconcile patient records. In Florida, where we have many residents living in multiple states or traveling, this is key to ensuring the right data is being assigned to the correct person. We use a FHIR/USCDI API integration layer to facilitate efficient data interoperability and advanced patient matching and parsing. This integration layer is part of our broader approach to modernizing public health data infrastructure, which includes the use of a data lake for curating reports and a clinical data repository for informed decision-making.

The integration of these technologies allows for a comprehensive and accurate MPI, which is crucial for healthcare providers to make informed decisions and improve patient care.

We will work with you and your team to estimate your panel size based on the last 12 months of your organization’s actual activity as well as any strategic initiatives that may affect the panel size.