AHRQ Issues RFP on Technical Assistance for HIT and HIE in Medicaid and SCHIP

On June 13, 2007, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) entitled Technical Assistance for Health IT and Health Information Exchange in Medicaid and SCHIP.  Proposal responses to AHRQ are due July 17, 2007. 

The RFP is the latest activity from AHRQ in support of health information technology and health information exchange.  According to the RFP, the technical assistance is intended to address "barriers and risks related to IT adoption by state Medicaid and SCHIP programs and [to clarify] the value of Medicaid program involvement in electronic data exchange activities."

AHRQ says that by "helping state Medicaid programs improve the interoperability of their IT systems and integrate those systems with the larger, intersecting world of electronic HIE development, AHRQ aims to connect state Medicaid programs more directly with ongoing national initiatives in health care effectiveness, quality measurement/improvement, and patient safety."

The Foundation for eHealth Initiative (FeHI) will be participating in a consortia response to this RFP as a sub-contractor.  To the extent that your organization is interested in being a potential Subject Matter Expert for the Task Order(s) under this RFP, please contact Andrew Weniger, (202) 536-4829 or andrew.weniger@ehealthinitiative.org.   If you would like to provide a letter in support of FeHI for this proposal, please contact Andrew no later than July 6th.