By Sarah Kwon | KFF Health News

The Northeast Valley Health Corp. in Los Angeles County could be a poster child for the benefits of sharing health data electronically.

Through a data network connecting its records system with other providers, the health center receives not just X-ray and lab results but real-time alerts when hospitals on the network admit or discharge its patients who have diabetes or asthma, enabling care teams to troubleshoot and significantly drive down emergency room visits.

But Christine Park, the community health center’s chief medical officer, said that even with those achievements, data sharing is far from seamless: The hospitals visited by the center’s patients aren’t all on the same network, and it’s often necessary to exchange records via fax.

“You know the

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