An expert advisory panel has recommended that the federal government do more research to help Medicaid agencies identify opportunities for incorporating health information technology into the country’s largest health care program.
“Medicaid can have an influential role in the adoption” of health IT and health information exchanges, according to the new report from the Center for Health Policy and Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. It also states that health IT could increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Medicaid programs, which the states operate with substantial federal support.
However, the report describes challenges that Medicaid agencies face with respect to participation in health IT and exchange efforts. It outlines areas in which more investigation is needed, including:
The likely costs and benefits of health IT adoption.
How much financial support can be expected from the federal government.
Legal and regulatory issues
Financial and nonfinancial incentives for health care providers to use IT when treating Medicaid patients.
The report, “Establishing a Foundation for Medicaid’s Role in the Adoption of Health Information Technology: Opportunities, Challenges and Considerations for the Future,” was developed under a contract from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The center convened a panel of experts and conducted interviews and other research.
Because each state Medicaid program is unique, no single strategy for health IT adoption can be expected to work everywhere, the report notes.
The panel recommended that a forum be established for sharing lessons learned, new developments and tactics among Medicaid agencies and other public and private stakeholders.
It also recommended development of best practices for integrating behavioral health and Medicaid services with health IT.
From the battlefield to the home front: Managing medical data
Government Health IT presents Col. Claude Hines Jr., program manager for the Defense Health Information Management System, in this recent InSight eSeminar. Col. Hines discusses the health information technology and tactical challenges faced by the military medical community in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict. In doing so, he describes the current information technology solutions for transferring clinical data between battlefield care givers to health care personnel at military treatment facilities worldwide.
