Maryland: A Leader in Health IT System
Press Release
Maryland: A Leader in Health IT System
Health Information Exchange Contract Approved by State BoardBetter Care, Controlling Costs for Families, Hospitals and Doctors
Governor Martin O'Malley announced today that Maryland has taken a major step forward to create a statewide health information exchange - making Maryland a leader in health information technology (Health IT) nationwide. Earlier today, the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) awarded $10 million to support the development of the statewide exchange in Maryland that will help control administrative costs, make health care more effective, provide better care for Maryland families, and ensure that patient care is guided by the best information available at the bedside or in the examining room,
"The creation on a Health IT exchange in Maryland is critical to improving patient care for our families and children and reducing administrative costs at the same time," said Governor O'Malley. "With today's announcement, Maryland remains at the forefront of Health IT development nationwide. I applaud the dedication of the health care professionals on the Commission for their work in helping Maryland build an outstanding health information exchange with strong privacy protections."
The Maryland statewide exchange will be developed by CRISP, a not-for-profit collaboration among the Johns Hopkins Medicine, MedStar Health, the University of Maryland Medical Systems, and Erickson Retirement Communities. CRISP will develop the "citizen-centric" statewide electronic health information exchange that allows health care providers to translate and share electronic records under the strict mandate to protect patient privacy.
"We are pleased to see the major health care systems in the state work together to create something that will benefit both providers and their patients," said Don Young, MD, chair of the HSCRC. "These are strong partners committed to building a system that will help improve health care in Maryland."
Although CRISP will develop and operate the exchange, it will serve all providers in Maryland and operate under key privacy policies set by Maryland law and by a separate Policy Board with broad public representation.
"We have recognized from the start that the major challenge is not choosing the technology, but rather choosing the policies that will protect the privacy and security of our personal health information," said David Sharp, Director of the Maryland Health Care Commission's Center for Health Information Technology.
The designation and funding of CRISP as Maryland's health information exchange will allow the state to receive additional federal stimulus funding provided by Congress to speed the implementation of these exchanges. In addition, President Obama worked with Congress earlier this year to create incentives for health care providers to expand electronic health record keeping.
The HSCRC action follows several years of analysis of the technology, the business case, and the substantial privacy issues involved in developing an exchange. The process involved a Task Force to Study Electronic Health Records fromacross the state, brought together by the Maryland Health Care Commission. Reports resulting from these consensus-building meetings are available from the Maryland Health Care Commission.
Source