ONC awards AHIMA $1.2M grant for HIE project
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has awarded the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Foundation a one-year, $1.2 million grant to continue the state-level health information exchange (SL-HIE) consensus project to assist states with nationwide HIE adoption, planning and implementation.
According to AHIMA, the grant supports the opportunities presented by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to advance HIE development in a way that has a positive impact on healthcare.
The consensus project has been sponsored by ONC and managed by the AHIMA Foundation since 2006. It is led by a 13-member steering committee of SL-HIE leaders and supports a SL-HIE Leadership Forum—open to all states—in which public and private sector HIE leaders can participate, learn and receive technical support to help foster their implementation of practical and effective HIE, according to the association.
AHIMA said that to ensure resources are effectively deployed, states will need comprehensive strategies and best practices that take into account the challenges of advancing interoperability and serve the collective needs of all stakeholders, by:
“In preparation to respond to ARRA’s HITECH [Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health] Act, states are being challenged to achieve and demonstrate value and impact from HIE to improve health and healthcare delivery,” said Mary Madison, executive director of the AHIMA Foundation.
According to AHIMA, the grant supports the opportunities presented by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to advance HIE development in a way that has a positive impact on healthcare.
The consensus project has been sponsored by ONC and managed by the AHIMA Foundation since 2006. It is led by a 13-member steering committee of SL-HIE leaders and supports a SL-HIE Leadership Forum—open to all states—in which public and private sector HIE leaders can participate, learn and receive technical support to help foster their implementation of practical and effective HIE, according to the association.
AHIMA said that to ensure resources are effectively deployed, states will need comprehensive strategies and best practices that take into account the challenges of advancing interoperability and serve the collective needs of all stakeholders, by:
- Expanding the knowledge base regarding effective HIE and SL-HIE governance, organizational effectiveness and sustainability of SL-HIE efforts in the emerging nationwide context.
- Providing a state-level HIE “voice” for timely information about SL-HIE experiences and perspectives and to convey strategic input from the Leadership Forum that advances HIE development across states and nationwide
- Providing targeted one-on-one technical supports and assistance to SL-HIE leaders in different stages as they develop and implement their statewide plans and governance and technical infrastructures in coordination with ONC.
- Providing a HIE Information Service to enhance networking and shared learning.
“In preparation to respond to ARRA’s HITECH [Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health] Act, states are being challenged to achieve and demonstrate value and impact from HIE to improve health and healthcare delivery,” said Mary Madison, executive director of the AHIMA Foundation.