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State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement (HIE)

HIE is one of several grant opportunities under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Priority Grants Program provided to states through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Together, the HITECH Priority Grants Program will offer much-needed local and regional assistance and technical support to health care providers while enabling coordination and alignment within and among states, ultimately allowing information to follow patients anywhere within the health care system.

HITECH Components

• Grants to states or their qualified designated entities to support health information exchange implementation;
• Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments to providers that use electronic health record systems and can exchange data;
• Requirements for all federal programs to adopt and use certified technology and standards

Arkansas Response

At the request of Arkansas’ Governor, Mike Beebe, an Arkansas Health Information Technology (HIT) Task Force was established and chaired by Arkansas’ Surgeon General, Dr. Joe Thompson. The Task Force consists of two groups: an executive committee to serve as the primary decision making body responsible for delivering recommendations to the Governor; and a stakeholder group representing a broad-base of expertise from throughout the state to serve as a resource to guide decision.

The HIT Task Force will build upon previous work and implement Arkansas’s plan for expanding the use of health information technology and maximizing opportunities created by federal economic stimulus funding. The desired outcomes include optimizing provider readiness, state competitiveness, health system improvements, and improved consumer health.

• Federal Recovery Health IT

HIT Task Force Goals:

• Improve the Arkansas health care system through immediate opportunities in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
• Advance the electronic health resources (e.g., electronic medical records, personal health records, telemedicine availability, health information exchange) available to consumers, providers, and payors in Arkansas to improve access and quality of health care services, reduce inefficiencies and avoidable costs, and optimize health outcomes for Arkansas residents.

Immediate Action Steps

• Preparing or updating the state road map for HIE adoption;
• Engaging stakeholders;
• Establishing a state leadership office;
• Preparing state agencies to participate;
• Implementing privacy strategies and reforms;
• Determining the HIE business model;
• Creating a communications strategy;
• Establishing opportunities/resources for health IT training and education
• Produce State’s Grant Proposal to be submitted by October 16, 2009

HIT Executive Committee Members

HIT Task Force – Stakeholder Group Members - PDF

Accomplishments to Date

'Arkansas’ Letter of Intent - PDF

Task Force Meetings

Schedule

Meeting Notes

Executive Committee
Friday, September 4, 2009 - PDF

Stakeholder Group
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - PDF

Executive Committee
Friday, September 11, 2009 - PDF