N.Y. execs urge state lawmakers to approve $65M for HIE

New York health IT investors and entrepreneurs have signed a public letter to state legislators, urging their support for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $65 million funding proposal for the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY), which is operated by the New York eHealth Collaborative.

The proposed funding primarily would go towards interconnecting SHIN-NY’s 10 regional health organizations throughout the state, which currently are disconnected, and increasing provider participation in the network. The state legislature will need to approve funding for the SHIN-NY by March 31.

“By funding the SHIN-NY, New York has the opportunity to lead the nation as the first large state to implement a statewide health information exchange that is not tethered to specific healthcare providers,” according to the letter, which was signed by 33 individuals. The leaders also wrote that SHIN-NY could attract new technology companies and more than 1,500 new jobs over the next five years.

The companies that have signed the letter in support of the SHIN-NY include: Start Up Health, OpenmHealth, YingoYango, New Leaf Venture Partners, TenElevenGroup, Meditech, MedCPU, Medent, Netsmart, ManaHealth (Winner of  NYeC’s Patient Portal Design Challenge), J2Interactive, Innovative Solutions, Hinext (Creator of Treat), Fitango, ExactData, BioDigital, ActualMeds, Chenoa Information Services, CipherHealth, eCaring, CredSimple, CureMD, Cureatr, NextGen Healthcare, Remedy, RightCareSolutions, RipRoad,  TalkSession, Luminary Labs, SpectraMedix,  SpotMe, Health Recovery Solutions and Key Management Group.

In addition to these companies, 17 other health IT companies with New York businesses have signed the letter, supporting the SHIN-NY as a key investment that will bring more jobs to the state.