Statewide Health Information Exchange Receives Boost of Community Support

"DCH is proud to lead the development of a statewide health information exchange that will improve the quality of care Georgians receive in health care settings across the state," said Ruth Carr, State HITT Coordinator.  "The HHS grant will empower the Department to achieve its overarching goal of health care provider usage and access to electronic health records (EHRs) and their participation in a statewide health information exchange."

To foster EHR adoption and use, the GeorgiaRegionalExtensionCenter (GA-HITREC) was formed at the NationalCenter for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine through a $19 million HITECH Act grant.   GA-HITREC will deliver EHR education, training and technical assistance to priority primary care providers in the state.  Working together, GA-HITREC and DCH will increase awareness and understanding about EHR value in improving quality, safety and effectiveness of care among providers, payers and consumers.   Developing capabilities for information exchange of these EHRs will be handled through Georgia’s statewide HIE.

Statewide Partners – Local and Regional, Urban and Rural

Currently, there are fewer than ten health information exchanges operating in Georgia.  Examples include the Central Georgia Health Exchange in Macon and the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council in Savannah.  None of these exchanges, however, has the capability of connecting all Georgia providers, hospitals, pharmacies, labs, imaging centers, payer groups, immunization registries and more.  Once operational, participants in the statewide HIE will be able to access and retrieve the right information at the right time in the right place throughout Georgia.  The statewide HIE will also be aligned with the Nationwide Health Information Exchange.

Georgia’s statewide HIE will facilitate secure and private access and use of clinical data in EHRs to provide safe, timely, efficient and effective patient-centered care.   The statewide HIE is expected to transform health care by fostering better decision-making, enhancing the continuity and coordination of care, reducing inflationary health care costs and stimulating economic development.  Georgia’s Statewide HIE Strategic and Operational Plan will be submitted to the ONC on August 31, 2010.

Connecting for Better Care Anywhere in Georgia

DCH’s collaborative approach has been well-received with letters of support coming from health care and health information technology (HIT) sectors, both near and far.  “I share your vision of improved health and health care outcomes, improved process efficiency, and strategic access to health care information,“ noted former HHS National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Robert M. Kolodner, MD and President of Maryland-based Collaborative Transformations, LLC.

"The collaborative private, public partnership [the statewide HIE] will be a value-added entity that can bring positive benefits for the economic and business community in Georgia," added Sam Williams, President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.  “The creativity, innovation and leading-edge systems and processes that will become a part of the new architecture will provide new opportunities for data sharing, health care research, and myriads of other critical factors that will positively impact patient outcomes and reduce health care costs,” commented Ron Strachan, Sr. VP and Chief Information Officer, WellStar Health System. 

A growing list of organizations expressing their support includes the Center for Health Transformation, Georgia Medical Care Foundation, Georgia Health Information Exchange, Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Hospital Association, Georgia Health Care Association, Cobb-Douglas Community Services Board, East Georgia Health Cooperative, Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Association for Primary Health Care, Georgia Pharmacy Association and others. 

DCH will continue to leverage existing relationships across the health care and HIT communities to ensure that stakeholders are engaged in the statewide HIE throughout its start-up and on-going operation.

For more information about this and other Georgia HITT Initiatives, visit www.dch.georgia.gov/gahitt.