Cal INDEX and Inland Empire Health Information Exchange are planning to complete a merger by the first quarter of 2017, the companies said this week, creating the state's largest health data exchange to date. Cal INDEX, based in Emeryville and backed by seed funding from Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross, will combine its 11.7 million claims records with Riverside-based Inland Empire’s 5 million patient records via its 150 partnering hospitals, medical groups and other providers. The…