When the term "electronic data interchange" (EDI) was first introduced, it referred to purchase orders, electronic claims, and electronic remittance processing. Those EDI applications are becoming commonplace now, however, and new applications for EDI technology are being developed. Healthcare financial managers should expect that the electronic data highways used for claims traffic eventually will transport both financial and clinical information. These electronic exchanges will not only be between payers and providers but also between hospitals, laboratories, physicians, and allied health professionals. The name commonly given to this view of an electronically linked healthcare world is the community healthcare information network (CHIN).
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Comprehensive Health Care