What is Community Information Exchange (CIE)?
Community information exchange (CIE) is a network of collaborative partners using a multidirectional technology platform to connect people to the services and supports they need.
- Partners may include human and social service, healthcare, and other organizations.
- Technology functions must include closed loop referrals, a shared resource directory, and informed consent.
CIE networks are foundational elements to building a more equitable system in Oregon. Connecting health care and social services sectors across Oregon supports meaningful efforts to address social determinants of health in communities impacted by historical and current structural disparities. When people's needs are met, such as housing, food, and transportation, health outcomes improve. CIE enables healthcare and social service organizations to coordinate more efficiently to address these needs and can help address health equity at multiple levels in Oregon.
To learn more about CIE see:
OHA CIE Initiatives
OHA's CIE Team monitors the CIE landscape, provides educational information, analyzes policies, and develops and implements strategies that support CIE efforts in Oregon.
CIE to Support Oregon's 2022-2027 1115 Medicaid Waiver
Oregon's 2022-2027
1115 Medicaid waiver requires using closed loop referrals to support the delivery of
health-related social needs (HRSN) services, including housing, nutrition and climate-related supports, and outreach and engagement. Closed loop referral means exchanging information between organizations to make referrals and communicate about the status of referrals for an individual seeking services. CIE supports this waiver requirement and helps efficiently connect people with the services and resources they need, which helps eliminate health inequities.
See this flyer (Español) if you are an HRSN Service Provider or community partner interested in learning more about participating in CIE. It describes how CIE can help with HRSN services, functions beyond HRSN services, how to connect to a CIE system, and more.
Vea este folleto para proveedores de servicios de HRSN y colaboradores comunitarios si está interesado en participar en CIE.
OHA plans to procure CIE to support Oregon's Medicaid Open Card program to meet the closed loop referral requirements under the waiver and may procure more than one vendor in this process. Use of CIE for closed loop referrals will be phased in during the 1115 waiver implementation. OHA has no plans to disrupt the current CIE environment or Medicaid coordinated care organizations' (CCOs) CIE contracts.
To learn more about CIE and the waiver, including plans for a phased-in approach to CIE use for HRSN referrals and supports for HRSN Service Providers, see the
CIE to Support Oregon's 1115 Medicaid Waiver Informational Brief.
CIE Governance Exploration
OHA contracted with Portland State University's Oregon Consensus Program, a neutral consultant, for an independent assessment of community and partner readiness for a CIE governance process. In summer 2024, they completed interviews and several focus groups with partners. Results show interest among partners in community-driven CIE governance that centers the perspectives and priorities of community-based organizations; scope and structure of a community-driven governance process would need to be developed collaboratively. The full assessment, published in November 2024 can be found here:
Oregon Consensus: Community Information Exchange Governance Readiness Assessment.
Oregon Strategic Plan for Health IT 2024-2028: CIE Strategy
The Health Information Technology Oversight Council (HITOC) developed the Strategic Plan to provide high-level priorities for information technology (IT) over the next five years. One of the six Strategies is to "Support, accelerate, and improve statewide CIE." For more information, see the
Strategic Plan webpage.
CIE Landscape
CIE is available in all 36 counties in Oregon and is sponsored by CCOs, health systems, and health plans. Community partners, including CBOs, clinics, local public health departments (LPHAs), and others participate in these efforts throughout the state.
There are two main CIE efforts in Oregon - Connect Oregon (powered by Unite Us) and findhelp (known in southern Klamath county as Healthy Klamath Connect).
For more information on availability of sponsored CIE efforts see the Oregon CIE Maps.
Past CIE work in Oregon
CIE Workgroup
The CIE Workgroup was chartered by the Health Information Technology Oversight Council (HITOC) under House Bill 4150 (2022) to provide recommendations on strategies to accelerate, support, and improve statewide CIE in Oregon. The CIE Workgroup recommendations, community-based organization (CBO) perspectives, and HITOC comment are reflected in the House Bill 4150 Final Report: Supporting Statewide Community Information Exchange, submitted to the legislature in January 2023. The Workgroup met monthly March through November 2022 and has concluded meeting.
To supplement this information, in May through July 2022 health equity consultants from Collective Health Strategies conducted CBO interviews and a survey to further inform the recommendations.
For more information visit the CIE Workgroup website.
CIE Webinar
On April 29, 2021, OHA held a webinar on CIE. We explored what CIE is and how it may be valuable. Community representatives from AllCare CCO, Project Access Now, Cascade Health Alliance, and Sky Lakes Medical Center shared their experiences using CIE, including successes and challenges. To learn more about the webinar see the slides and recording.
CIE for COVID
During the COVID emergency, CIE was used by some interested CBOs, LPHAs, and Tribes to coordinate wraparound and social services support for COVID-19 isolation and quarantine. Joining a CIE is voluntary and was not required under the COVID-19 Grants for Community Based Organizations. To learn more about this effort see our OHA CIE Flyer (Español).