I would think so, although I suspect there was more to the story than just the price. Interfaces are hard to maintain and therefore, expensive. If every EHR and lab requires a custom interface, then the cost for the HIE to manage and maintain its side of the connection will be huge in comparison to maintaining and managing a standard interface. Although controlling the upfront cost of each interface is important, the goal needs to be to minimize the number of one-off interfaces. Doing so will lower the long-term, total cost of the interfaces. I would concentrate on negotiating a standard interface that all the vendors must use.

I would think so, although I suspect there was more to the story than just the price. Interfaces are hard to maintain and therefore, expensive. If every EHR and lab requires a custom interface, then the cost for the HIE to manage and maintain its side of the connection will be huge in comparison to maintaining and managing a standard interface. Although controlling the upfront cost of each interface is important, the goal needs to be to minimize the number of one-off interfaces. Doing so will lower the long-term, total cost of the interfaces. I would concentrate on negotiating a standard interface that all the vendors must use.