Statewide Health Information Exchange: Becoming Operational

The 2011 State Healthcare IT Connect Summit held June 21-23, 2011 examined the role of state health IT modernization and transformation at the intersection of HITECH and State Health Reform. At the summit, policymakers and leading HIT strategists provided critical insights into state health IT's function at the intersection of HITECH and health reform. Administrators of leading edge Accountable Care Organization pilots and the associated technology infrastructures presented their experiences, and health IT experts looked at the developing role of statewide health information exchange and Regional Extension Centers as the supporting infrastructure for quality improvements and reform.

The session below from June 23, 2011 was on operationalizing Statewide HIE and gives some excellent insights into strategies that states are using to enable robust health information exchange capabilities in their states. One of the presenters is Carol Robinson from Oregon. Carol is currently serving as the State Coordinator of Health Information Technology for Oregon and is also the Director of the Health Information Technology Oversight Council (HITOC). Prior to her current appointment, she served Governor Kulongoski as the Interim Executive Director of the Oregon Health Fund Board during the 2009 legislative session. In that position, she led the political effort that resulted in the passage of HB2009, Oregon’s renowned health reform bill. From 2006-2009, Robinson held the post of Executive Director of Oregon Health Forum, where she also served as publisher of Oregon Health News. Robinson’s background spans both business and grassroots activism. She worked from 2003-2006 as Director of Public Relations and Development for Oregon Business Association, assisting many of Oregon’s leading employers develop consensus policy positions on issues including health care, renewable energy, state finance and education. She was an active force in the 1999, 2001 and 2003 legislative sessions, working with public school advocates and education organizations and she currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Women in Politics and Policy at Portland State University.

Statewide Health Information Exchange: Becoming Operational