PRESS RELEASE

July 31, 2006

Contact:
Health Policy Institute of Ohio
(614) 224-4950

Health Policy Institute of Ohio to host public-comment meetings on health information exchange from Aug. 14 to 31.

Columbus, OH- The Health Policy Institute is hosting a series of public meetings seeking comment on how Ohio’s privacy and security laws and business practices would affect the exchange of electronic health information. The meetings will be held from August 14th through 31st and are open to the public, with no registration required.

Each meeting will focus on specific issue areas related to electronic health information, such as pharmacy or behavioral health, or specific stakeholder groups, such as employers or health plans. Comments from the meetings will be used to help create a strategic road map and policy recommendation to enhance the adoption of health information technology and health information exchange in Ohio.

Among the goals are to identify opportunities and challenges to the effective adoption of health information technology and exchange of health information in Ohio and to develop possible public and private sector policy solutions to address those opportunities and challenges

For specific meeting dates and times, see the chart below.

These meetings are part of the Institute’s work on the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration (HISPC) contract, awarded by RTI International on behalf of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Governor Taft and the Ohio Department of Health named the Health Policy Institute of Ohio as state designee for the contract.

Health information technology (HIT) and health information exchange are part of a nation wide effort to promote the use of technology to improve medical care, reduce costs and provide a more patient-centric focus to better health for all Americans. Their goal is to unite health providers, payers, and patients through a system in which electronic health records are shared among health care providers nationwide to enhance health care quality. It is believed that this use of technology would improve medical care, reduce costs and provide a more patient-centric focus to health care.

More detailed information about the HISPC initiative or other HIT initiatives, as well as a calendar of upcoming events, is available at http://hispc.pbwiki.com.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio is an independent, nonpartisan organization that forecasts health trends, analyzes key health issues, and communicates current research to Ohio policymakers, legislators, and others. For more information on the Institute, call (614) 224-4950 or go to http://www.healthpolicyohio.org.

HISPC Meeting Schedule

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