ONC approves Maryland's HIT plan
On June 7, 2010, Maryland's Lt. Governor Anthony Brown announced that the Office of National Coordinator for Health IT approved Maryland's State Health IT plan, allowing the state to move forward to implement a functional health information exchange (HIE). According to the Washington Business Journal, ONC will release $25 million in ARRA funds to Maryland, to be used in connection with the state's HIE:
Proponents of the exchange say it will cut costs and improve health care quality by streamlining the transfer of electronic health data between hospitals, physicians and patients.
The Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients, the nonprofit tasked with implementing the exchange, has already begun work with $10 million in state money. The federal approval leaves the plan's funding "fully unrestricted," said CRISP Program Director Scott Afzal, allowing them to broaden the goals of the exchange and engage more hospitals. Much of their work lies in finding health care providers to sign on to the exchange when there is no state or federal legal requirement to do so, according to Afzal.
'We have to show a value proposition to connect,' he said.
The project is estimated to cost roughly $20 million, although it will be scoped to available funding.
On April 29, 2010, CRISP selected Axolotl Corp. as the vendor for its core HIE platform. CRISP aims to connect 47 acute care hospitals, 7,900 physicians and ancillary provider sites after completion.
"Lt. Governor Brown Speaks at Health Information Technology Forum, Touts Federal Recognition of Maryland's Health IT Plan," Press Release from Lt. Governor Brown (June 7, 2010).
"Maryland HIE Picks Platform Vendor," Health Data Management (April 29, 2010).
