State Health Information Exchanges Ramping Up

By HHIE, on April 14th, 2010

State Health Information Technology Centers Organizing

In Maine, the Governor announced that federal support through the Recovery Act funding will allow the expansion of Maine’s health information exchange, HealthInfoNet, to eventually reach all healthcare providers in the State. “This is an important step in reaching our goal to increase quality and efficiency in health care delivery,” said Governor Baldacci. “With our public and private partners, we have been working hard to improve care that all Maine people receive. All together, the additional funds and the creation of the State infrastructure to support and plan for collaborative efforts to advance health information technology will help Maine meet the goals of the State and the federal government.”

In Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn named State Representative Julie Hamos as Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS). As agency director, Hamos will focus on expanding access to healthcare while improving patient safety. In 2005, Hamos sponsored legislation that created the Electronic Health Records Taskforce, and this year she is sponsoring the Illinois Health Information Exchange and Technology Act. That Act will establish a public-private Health Information Exchange Authority to work in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Health Information Technology to enable providers throughout Illinois to securely share patient health information, and it is a step toward the adoption of statewide electronic health records.

In New York, Great Rochester RHIO, the regional health information organization connecting medical providers across nine counties in New York, today announced that six emergency departments are using Rochester RHIO to view critical patient information from data providers across the region. Rochester RHIO Executive Director, Ted Kremer, said that implementing the health information exchange in emergency departments has been a priority for the organization. “We are happy that six EDs are using Rochester RHIO, and we’re working with other hospitals to bring this valuable tool to their emergency staffs,” Kremer said.

In California the San Francisco Business Times reported that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Belshé said the state is naming a new nonprofit entity called Cal eConnect to oversee the development of Health Information Exchange services in the Golden State. Some of the organizations in Northern California include the California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO), San Francisco and Northern California Regional Extension Center. Some of the organizations in Southern California include the Southern California Regional Extension Center and L.A. Care Health Plan, Los Angeles.