Louisiana Joins eHealth Initiative's State Health IT Effort
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Louise Arnheim |
March 10, 2005 |
Louisiana Joins eHealth Initiative's State Health IT Effort
Announcement Makes Louisiana Second State in Growing Initiative
Lafayette, LA -- Louisiana today became the second state to join the eHealth Initiative Foundation's (eHI) State Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Summit Initiative, a program bringing state policy officials together with healthcare, consumer and business leaders to help improve healthcare through IT. The announcement was made today by Dr. Fred Cerise, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals before an audience of state healthcare leaders attending the Louisiana eHealth Conference at Lafayette's .
Through the Louisiana State HIT Policy Summit Initiative, eHI will support the state of Louisiana in exploring with healthcare stakeholders a common path forward to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare within the state through information technology. This work is also being supported by Louisiana Health Care Review, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Louisiana.
Also joining the Louisiana eHealth Conference today was Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). AHRQ's leadership at the federal level is helping pave the way for a higher quality, safer and more efficient healthcare system enabled by IT. AHRQ's HIT Program supports states and other healthcare stakeholders across the country by providing grants and contracts to support HIT planning and implementation, enabling research on the value of HIT, and providing much-needed technical assistance through the AHRQ National Resource Center for Health Information Technology. eHI's State HIT Policy Summit Initiative will support 's leadership in efforts to improve healthcare through IT.
With today’s announcement, the Bayou State joins New York -- which held its inaugural Summit event in January-- in eHI’s growing effort to focus attention on the role states play in accelerating the adoption of HIT and health information exchange at state and local levels. Through its State HIT Policy Summit Initiative, eHI is supporting a well-informed dialogue among policymakers, healthcare stakeholders, and business leaders on the key principles and priorities for leveraging HIT to support quality, safety, and efficiency goals. Overall, the eHI State Initiative focuses on six substantive areas:
- Raising awareness of what federal HIT policy means for states and regions across the country;
- Supporting multi-stakeholder focus on, investment in, and the development of principles and priorities for HIT and health information exchange at the state and local levels;
- Identifying areas where state laws can hinder, instead of facilitate, HIT implementation;
- Realizing public policy goals through public-private partnerships at state and local levels;
- Aligning nationally-accepted standards with work going on at the state and regional levels;
- Bringing the voice of states and regions to the national dialogue on HIT and health information exchange.
For Louisiana, New York, and the three additional states where Summit plans are now being finalized, the Initiative will involve (1) conducting interviews with healthcare stakeholders to assess barriers to and strategies for adoption; (2) stimulating the discovery and awareness of the various initiatives that are currently being conducted within the state; (3) increasing awareness of the legislative and regulatory landscape; and (4) supporting state stakeholder dialogue and development of principles, priorities, and recommendations for a common path forward within the state.
"We are honored to be working with Governor Blanco, Dr. Cerise and the state of Louisiana on this important initiative," said Janet Marchibroda, CEO, eHealth Initiative. "Addressing HIT issues at the national level is not enough. Engaging stakeholders at the state and local levels is critical, because this is where healthcare is actually delivered."
Summit meetings for The Louisiana State HIT Policy Summit Initiative are planned for July and September 2005. For more information on eHI’s State HIT Policy Initiative, please go to: http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/initiatives/programs/aboutstatesummit.mspx
The eHealth Initiative and its Foundation are independent, non-profit organizations whose missions are the same: to drive improvement in the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. For more information on the eHealth Initiative and its Foundation, go to www.ehealthinitiative.org
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