HIE in Arizona
Health Information Exchange (HIE), as described in the Arizona Health-e Connection Roadmap, is both a verb (the process of exchange) and a noun (an organization facilitating the exchange). In Arizona, we have a number of efforts underway, both regionally and by payor. Additionally, the Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) has a program to grant funds to rural communities considering formation of a Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO).
This is a Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) funded Medicaid Transformation Grant project. Initial funding almost $12 million, with a second grant of over $4 million for an electronic clinical decision support toolkit.
Southern Arizona Health Information Exchange (SAHIE)
The concept of a regional HIE for Southern Arizona got its formal start in early 2006. SAHIE grew from four initiating institutions in Phase One to now over 30 member organizations including hospitals, group practices, community physicians, health plans, diagnostic service organizations, the business community, and county administrations in Southern Arizona, as well as agencies of the State of Arizona. The mission is to improve the access, quality and safety of healthcare while reducing or stabilizing costs in Southern Arizona through the deployment of a regional, financially self-sustainable HIE. SAHIE is currently in the final stages of organizational and technology design, including vendor selection. It is expected that implementation will begin in early 2009.
The primary goal of CAPAZ-MEX is to improve the health status of the medically-underserved populations by building and strengthening the infrastructure for a continuum of care (medical, dental, and mental health) -- from prevention to tertiary care. The Regional Center for Border Health and the Yuma County Health Consortium are working to create and share information among the Yuma County and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico medical/social services providers. This program will support data sharing, inter-agency referrals, allow service utilization tracking, and expand the use of shared service applications such as the Continuity of Care Record (CCR). CCR is a standardized dataset to ensure consistent data content focusing on the most important elements of continuity of care.
GITA, Rural Health Information Technology Adoption (RHITA)
Originating in 2006, this health information infrastructure grant program strives to create health care efficiencies in Arizona's rural communities - where often the provider-to-patient ratios are the lowest:
