|
6-27-06:
Arizona
Health-e Connection Builds Momentum with Grant, Appropriation
The State of Arizona has
been awarded a federal grant to explore privacy and security issues
related to e-Health, while the state legislature has appropriated $1.5
Million for Rural Health Information Techno logy.
Both developments are seen as a clear signal that Arizona is making
significant progress in becoming a national leader in advancing e-Health
initiatives.
The federal grant, in partnership with the National Governor’s
Association, provides resources to assess business practices that affect
the safe exchange of electronic health information. Based on this
assessment, the Arizona Health-e Connection will identify practical ways
to enable the electronic exchange of health information.
| “Making
sure that patient’s health information is kept safe is of
paramount importance in the development of e-Health,” said Beth
Schermer Co-Chair of the Health-e Connection Steering Committee.
“This grant will give Arizona the resources necessary to begin
to sort out the privacy and security laws and how they impact
e-Health.” |
In addition to the
federal grant, the state legislature has approved $1.5 million in
Governor Napolitano’s budget request to encourage rural health care
providers to implement health information technology. Sharing medical
information electronically has the potential to reduce errors and
increase access to important information at the moment of patient care.
These two funding sources will help advance the implementation of the
Health-e Connection Roadmap, developed as a result of Governor
Napolitano’s Executive Order 2025.
The Roadmap outlines a 5-year path for the electronic exchange of health
records in Arizona. The plan was developed with input from over 300
stakeholders in the health care industry. The process used in creating
the Roadmap is nationally recognized as the model for the development of
e-Health plans.
There are several teams working on various aspects of Roadmap
implementation, including a team focusing on privacy and security. The
twelve month duration of the grant coincides with the transition process
from Roadmap development to implementation.
The grant is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
administered by RTI international in partnership with the National
Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices. In exchange for the
grant, the State will share its research and best practices with other
states and the Federal government.
The
following activities are planned in conjunction with the grant:
-
An examination of relevant federal and state laws relating to
security and privacy of health information.
-
Identification of legal challenges to implementing an electronic
health information exchange.
-
Development of solutions and creation of an implementation plan to
address business practices along with state and federal laws to
permit health information exchange.
|
