Pennsylvania has laid the foundation for a statewide health information exchange that will support interoperable electronic health records and e-prescribing.
Gov. Edward Rendell signed an executive order March 26 establishing the governance structure for the Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange (PHIX). That structure, which will include an executive director and advisory groups, will “develop, implement and manage a statewide health information exchange and other health information technology initiatives,” according to the order.
State officials will issue a request for proposals and plan to select a vendor by the end of the calendar year.
“We are looking at providing high-level infrastructure for connectivity across the board,” said Phil Magistro, director of IT at the Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform.
State officials plan to work with early adopters, such as Geisinger Health System and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, as they launch PHIX. They also want to foster regional health information organizations and local HIEs that will eventually connect to the statewide framework, Magistro said.
As for the governance structure, the PHIX executive office will direct the development of the exchange, which will be managed by an executive director. The Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform will provide strategy, policy and planning guidance to the PHIX executive office. An advisory council will provide input on strategies, issues and recommendations to the director, the executive order states.
Representatives from state agencies, legislators, insurers, physicians, hospital executives, pharmaceutical organizations and nurses will participate in the council, according to the governor’s office. A representative of the Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform will serve as chairman of the council.
PHIX is part of the Prescription for Pennsylvania health care reform plan. Launched last year, the effort focuses on health care access, affordability and quality. In a related initiative, the Chronic Care Management, Reimbursement and Cost Containment Commission was created under a 2007 executive order and aims to develop a process for effectively managing chronic diseases.
Government Health IT presents Rick Friedman, director of the division of state systems for the Center for Medicaid and State Operations with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in this recent eSeminar regarding how the federal Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services is partnering with state Medicaid and health and human services officials to bring Medicaid into the digital age. Paul McCloskey, Government Health IT editor, moderates.
