WASHINGTON, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report highlights a critical
gap between national goals to rapidly advance health information exchange
(HIE) and the difficult reality of achieving sustained progress at the
local level. The federal government has set the goal of nationwide
"interoperable" electronic medical records by 2014 -- meaning physicians
could electronically access their patients' comprehensive medical records
from any location eight years from now. But much of this progress needs to
be made on a state and regional basis, so analysis of state progress is
essential for understanding the nation's overall readiness.
Funded by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Avalere Health developed an overview of state-level HIE activity and
prepared eight in-depth state-based case studies. These case studies
evaluate health information technology initiatives for progress and lessons
learned that could help other states accelerate their HIE efforts. The
study also benchmarks state activity against federal goals.
"Selected states have made important progress and will serve as a model
to their peers," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health. Smaller
states, like Hawaii and Rhode Island, have fewer people to coordinate,
which affords them unique opportunities for progress. States like North
Carolina and Utah that have benefited from strong political involvement and
more mature HIE experience have garnered broad community support and trust.
While some states have progressed, the Avalere report highlights
challenges in achieving national goals. None of the highlighted HIE
projects -- even those with deep political and physician support -- have
established a sustainable business or financial model. Some states are also
struggling to gather providers and other commercial organizations'
agreement on technology standards and win over their long-term support.
Some state efforts have worked to include the consumer voice in their
planning, but others showed a noticeable lack of patient perspective.
"As we pulled back the curtain on these state-based projects, it became
clear that publicly available characterizations of progress are generally
overstated, and few projects are exchanging actual clinical data," said
Sheera Rosenfeld, senior manager of Avalere Health and primary author of
the paper. "Federal goals can only be met with robust and sustainable state
and regional projects, because ultimately the healthcare system operates
locally."
All states surveyed share similar goals of exchanging critical patient
and treatment information across a variety of healthcare settings, but the
technologies they are using may not be compatible with one another. The
states in the report also vary in their efforts to develop electronic
health records, electronic prescribing, clinical data repositories, and
programs to better manage medication utilization. Regardless of the type of
project, states face the larger challenge of developing technology that
will work across the entire nation.
Avalere's research also showed that very few state Medicaid programs
have been involved in community HIE initiatives. Out of 101 total projects
surveyed nationally, only 19 mentioned Medicaid as a stakeholder. Tennessee
and Arizona were the only two out of the eight case study states that
demonstrated a significant leadership role through Medicaid. "State
Medicaid involvement requires a real expenditure of resources, as well as a
firm belief by state leaders that HIE can promote more cost effective
care," said Rosenfeld. "In most states this commitment simply isn't there
yet."
"States are critical in promoting cost-effective, quality healthcare.
They also are much closer and more accountable for the day-to-day health
status of their communities," said Shannah Koss, vice president of Avalere
Health and co-author of the report. "Moving forward, federal and state
policymakers must work together to bridge the gaps between goals and
realities in order to advance HIE."
The report, "Evolution of State Health Information Exchange: A Study of
Vision, Strategy, and Progress," was authored by Sheera Rosenfeld, Shannah
Koss, Greg Fuller, and Karen Caruth, all of Avalere Health. Aspects of this
report, other HIE initiatives, and the intersection of health information
technology and Medicaid will be discussed at the National Medicaid Congress
on June 4-6 in Washington, DC. Information on the event is at
http://www.medicaidcongress.com.
Avalere Health is a leading advisory company focused on healthcare
business strategy and public policy. It serves a diverse client base, which
includes Fortune 500 healthcare technology companies, Federal government
agencies, and major medical foundations. The company focuses on Medicare,
Medicaid, Reimbursement, Long Term Care, Health Information Technology, and
Evidence-Based Medicine. Anchored by a comprehensive research engine and
staffed by experts in business, medical product commercialization and
health policy, Avalere provides strategic guidance, objective analytic
research, and quality educational programs focused on a wide range of
health care issues.
Founded in 2000, the firm was initially known as The Health Strategies
Consultancy. The name was changed in 2005 to reflect the unique nature of
the firm's products and services. Further information can be obtained at
http://www.avalerehealth.net.
SOURCE Avalere Health
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Related links:
http://www.avalerehealth.net
http://www.medicaidcongress.com
CONTACT:
Lindsey Spindle of Avalere Health,
+1-202-207-1337, lspindle@avalerehealth.net
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