Bookmark & ShareFor Immediate Release: 07/05/2011
Contact: Doug Porter, Health Care Authority, 360-725-1040
Richard Onizuka, Health Care Authority 360-923-2820
Richard Campbell, 360-725-1146
Rick Rubin, OneHealthPort, 206-624-3128
OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Medicaid program is the first health care payer to sign up for a new statewide Health Information Exchange that will let providers, labs, pharmacies, public health, health plans and others electronically exchange health information, the Health Care Authority announced today.
The system – the OneHealthPort Health Information Exchange – was funded primarily through a cooperative agreement between the Health Care Authority and the federal National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and supported by private contributions from OneHealthPort and the Washington Healthcare Forum.
The OneHealthPort Health Information Exchange will provide the technology infrastructure for health care industry organizations and their trading partners (such as insurance companies and medical providers) to exchange electronic health information efficiently without risking a loss of security.
The Health Care Authority (HCA) is coordinating statewide health information technology activities across the state, working with both the public and private sectors to ensure alignment, accountability and transparency.
"Participation in the state Health Information Exchange aligns with Medicaid's priorities for sharing information with our provider community and addresses health care access, cost, quality, and improved health care outcomes," said Richard Campbell, Director of the HCA Division of Systems and Monitoring. "It's a win-win situation."
OneHealthPort―a private Seattle-based information technology management company―was selected by HCA to lead planning, design and implementation of the Health Information Exchange.
"Medicaid is a major payer of provider claims and will be a key trading partner," said Rick Rubin, President and CEO of OneHealthPort. "The planning and implementation of the HIE has been an inclusive and transparent process aimed at meeting the community's information exchange needs in a cost-effective manner. We are pleased Medicaid is taking the lead to leverage this connectivity opportunity and connect with the provider community."
The health industry in the state has been working for years to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. One barrier to progress was lack of a way to easily share health information between and among health organizations. The state Health Information Exchange is a cost effective solution for organizations to securely and swiftly share health information; making possible improved patient care, more accurate diagnoses and better outcomes.
The state Health Information Exchange is primarily funded by an $11.3 million collaborative grant with the federal Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
For more information and background:
Visit the Health Care Authority's Health Information Exchange page at http://www.hca.wa.gov/arra/hie.html
Jim Stevenson, Communications Director, Health Care Authority 360-725-1915
Sharon Michael, Communications, Health Care Authority 360-923-2764
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