Gov. Lynch Directs Citizens Health Initiative To Develop Plan for Using Technology to Improve Health Care Quality, Affordability

For Immediate Release:                                          Contact: Colin Manning
Wednesday, April 23, 2008                               (603) 271-2121
                                                          
Gov. Lynch Directs Citizens Health Initiative To Develop Plan for Using Technology to Improve Health Care Quality, Affordability

Executive Order Aims to Improve State's Health Information Infrastructure

CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today directed the Citizens Health Initiative to develop a plan for improving the state's health information infrastructure to improve health care quality and affordability for New Hampshire citizens.

"Our goal is to keep New Hampshire one of the healthiest states in the nation, and make sure more of our citizens have access to quality health care, at a more affordable cost," Gov. Lynch said. "Technology can help us reach that goal, by doing for the health care industry what it has done for virtually every other industry - improve quality and efficiency, which cuts down on errors and reduce costs."

As the use of health care technology grows, there is a risk of numerous potentially conflicting standards for health information technology in the health care community, which may make it difficult to appropriately share patient information and jeopardize the health care improvements that can come from the greater use of electronic medical records.

"We want to make sure New Hampshire citizens get the maximum value from the increasing use of technology in health care," Gov. Lynch said. "That is why I am asking the Citizens Health Initiative to bring people together now to make sure we develop common standards."

Gov. Lynch issued an Executive Order directing the Citizens Health Initiative to work with hospitals, providers and businesses to further develop the state's health information technology infrastructure in a way that will encourage common standards and coordinated efforts and ensure the privacy personal medial information is protected.

In 2005, Gov. Lynch created the Citizens Health Initiative Citizens Health Initiative bringing together lawmakers, state government officials, business leaders, health care providers, workers, and insurance experts to address the state's health care challenges.

This Executive Order directs the Citizens Health Initiative to convene a working groups comprised of various stakeholders from across the state. The strategic plan will be delivered to the Governor by Dec. 1.

"It is widely recognized that universal adoption of electronic medical records, and the ability to transfer important patient data among hospitals, physicians and clinicians offers great promise for improved quality of care, reduced medical errors, and improved operating efficiencies for the provider of care. It is critically important that the many organizations who are grappling with the complexity of adopting and implementing health information technology have a 'road map' to follow when making a commitment to invest in these important and complex systems," said Paul Spiess, co-chair of the Citizens Health Initiative. "I thank the Governor for his confidence in the ability of the Citizen's Health Initiative to organize and lead this effort, and look forward to presenting a strategic plan to the Governor and the Legislature this fall."

Through the work of the Citizens Health Initiative, New Hampshire has set the goal of being the first state in the nation to ensure all physicians have the ability to prescribe medications electronically, which will help lower costs and reduce errors.

The Citizens Health Initiative has worked with insurance companies to develop criteria for "pay-for-performance" standards putting the focus on preventative healthcare. The Initiative also has  a Web site, www.nhhealthinfo.org <http://www.nhhealthinfo.org>, that allows employers to get the information they need to make informed decisions about employee health benefits.

A copy of the Executive Order is attached.

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STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
BY HIS EXCELLENCY
JOHN H. LYNCH, GOVERNOR

Executive Order 2008-06

An Order Directing the New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative to Develop A Health Information Technology Strategic Plan

WHEREAS, the ability to securely share health information electronically between medical facilities and health care providers will improve health care for New Hampshire citizens by reducing medical errors, improving patient safety and making our health care system more efficient and affordable;

WHEREAS, ensuring the privacy of personal medical information is paramount;

WHEREAS, in the future, all health care providers will use secure, electronic records to monitor patients' health information;

WHEREAS, in the future, all patients will have access to secure, electronic, and portable health records;

WHEREAS, New Hampshire's health care stakeholders have made significant investments in health information technology;

WHEREAS, there is the risk of numerous potentially conflicting standards for health information technology in the health care community, which will make it difficult to appropriately share patient information and jeopardize the health care improvements that can come from the greater use of electronic medical records;

WHEREAS, to ensure that New Hampshire citizens obtain the maximum potential values from the increased use of health information technology, state government, private and nonprofit leaders should work together to develop a New Hampshire Health Information Technology Strategic Plan that will encourage common standards and coordinate efforts for increasing the use of health information technology;

WHEREAS, New Hampshire's state, private and nonprofit health leaders should also coordinate with our bordering states, which are currently developing their own statewide, health information exchanges, and all states should align to effect cross-border privacy and security policies, information sharing practices, and possible regional approaches to health information exchange;

WHEREAS, creating a New Hampshire Health Information Technology Strategic Plan will guide legislative and regulatory actions, encourage coordinated efforts in the private health care sector, further public and private partnerships for the development of a statewide health information infrastructure, and maximize federal financial participation to support the goal of early adoption of an e-health information infrastructure;

WHEREAS, the New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative was created to bring leaders from all sectors together to identify ways to control the growth in health care costs, to improve health care quality and to expand health care access for New Hampshire citizens;

WHEREAS, the New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative and its health information technology and health information exchange working group have developed a set of principles to increase the use of health information technology and health information exchange; and

WHEREAS, the work of the Citizens Health Initiative should serve as a foundation for developing the New Hampshire Health Information Technology Strategic Plan;

NOW THEREFORE, I, JOHN H. LYNCH, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, by the authority vested in me by part II, article 41, of the New Hampshire Constitution do hereby order the following:

                1.      The New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative shall convene a working group that will be tasked with the development of a statewide plan for health information technology and health information exchange.

                2.      The plan will be based upon the Vision and Principles for Health Information Technology and Health Information Exchange document ratified on September 6, 2007, by the Initiative's working group members.

                3.      The Initiative shall convene a working group including, but not limited to, representatives from:
                                a.      Hospitals
                                b.      Physicians
                                c.      Home care and hospice providers
                                d.      Other clinical providers
                                e.      Health plans
                                f.      Employers
                                g.      Legislature
                                h.      New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
                                i.      New Hampshire Department of Insurance
                                j.      Health information, security, and privacy content experts
                                k.      Consumer advocate(s)

                4.      In developing the New Hampshire Health Information Technology Strategic Plan,
                the working group shall consider:
                                a.      How to facilitate statewide adoption of standards and interoperability requirements for e-Health to enable the secure exchange of health information between providers, patients and payers, and to facilitate the regional and national exchange of data.
                                b.      Identify areas where State laws and regulations hinder, rather than facilitate, adoption of health information technology and health information exchange and recommend strategies to remove such barriers.
                                c.      Identify and develop strategies for the continued protection of confidentiality and privacy of health information in an electronic environment.
                                d.      Identify opportunities and strategies for a public/private partnership approach to create financially viable and sustainable business models for health information technology projects in the State.
                                e.      Develop options for advancing the implementation of health information technology through the State's role as a major purchaser, provider and regulator of health care services.
                                f.      Develop performance metrics to measure the success of the implementation of health information technology throughout the State.

                5.      The strategic plan shall be delivered to the Governor's Office and General Court by December 1, 2008.

                                        Given under my hand and seal at the
                                        Executive Chambers in Concord, this 23rd day of April, in the year of Our Lord,
                                        two thousand and eight.

                                        Governor of New Hampshire