HOSA Health Informatics Practice Test

The correct answer is Health Information Organization (HIO), which is specifically designed to facilitate the exchange of health-related information among various organizations. HIOs play a critical role in promoting interoperability in health information systems, ensuring that different entities such as hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and other stakeholders can share and access health data securely and efficiently. This capability is essential for providing coordinated care, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing public health efforts. HIOs often operate regional or state-level networks to connect participating organizations and enable the flow of pertinent health information.

In contrast, while Health Information Technology (Health IT) refers to the overall field of designing, implementing, and managing technology systems that handle health data, it does not serve as a direct overseer of data exchange among organizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) primarily focus on public health issues, disease control, and health research, rather than the direct oversight of health information exchange among various organizations.