Wes Rishel, an analyst in the health care provider practice at Gartner Inc., described IHIE as the most advanced regional health care information organization in the country right now in terms of exchanging clinical data.

"[IHIE] has been smart in terms of picking the right early applications that are easy for people to sign up [for] and using that as a starting point to build out a broader group of functions," he said.

SIDEBAR

11-Year-Old EMR System Key to National E-health Project

INDIANAPOLIS -- Just before noon on Nov. 18, 78 patients were undergoing treatment in the emergency room at Wishard Memorial Hospital here.