MaSSSoftech

BENNINGTON -- State government officials from across the country will focus on improving information technology in the health sector this Friday at the State Alliance for e-Health’s semi-annual meeting in Burlington.

Meanwhile, local health officials are already working to implement new technology to improve safety and lower the cost of care.

The State Alliance for e-Health, created by the National Governors Association and composed of governors, state legislators, attorney generals and state commissioners, maintains that improving health information technology (IT) and health information exchange is critical to ensuring a health care system that is "affordable, effective, safe and transparent."

"States already have taken the lead in modernizing the health care system by advancing the use of health IT, electronic health records, e-prescribing and electronic exchange of health information," said Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, who is chairman of the NGA and co-chairman of the State Alliance. "We now have an opportunity to accelerate adoption of health IT across the states and create a truly comprehensive health care system that is effective, affordable and accountable."

Douglas said Friday’s meeting will focus on a new report published by the State Alliance that aims to help states begin instituting the federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

The report recommends that states begin implementing

* Engaging stakeholders

* Establishing a state leadership office to manage the different phases of HIE implementation

* Preparing state agencies to participate and implement privacy strategies and reforms

* Determining the HIE business model

* Creating a communications strategy

* Establishing opportunities for health IT training and education

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, co-chairman of the State Alliance, said states can have a large impact on improving the country’s health system.

"Governors understand that swift and thoughtful action is needed at the state level to plan and implement a national system of health information exchange," Bredesen said in a prepared statement. "Widespread adoption and use of electronic health records provide a critical foundation for improving health outcomes and cost-effectiveness."

The State Alliance was created by the NGA Center for Best Practices in 2006 to address the unique role states can play in facilitating adoption of health IT and HIE. The HITECH Act, enacted as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, expands the role of states in fostering health information exchange and adoption of electronic health records over the next five years.

Technology is already playing a role at Southwest Vermont Health Care, according to spokesman Kevin Robinson. "If you come into the hospital and you’re treated here ... that stuff is all documented and retained electronically," he said.

Doctors within the SVHC system can read patient charts electronically, and medication is being administered electronically, Robinson said.

And some private medical practices are beginning to implement a system administered by Vermont Information Technology Leaders, or VITL, that allows them to exchange data with SVHC electronically.

"We’re working with the physicians in our community to set up ways for their internal computer systems to talk to the hospital’s computer system," Robinson said. "It’s a challenge. You have to develop a lot of specially designed interfaces to make sure that the data transfer is accurate."

One local medical practice, Bennington Family Practice, is already using the system. Two others are currently in "test mode," according to Robinson.

The health corporation is also working to implement other safety and cost saving measures. The Northshire Medical Center in Manchester, which is operated by SVHC, will soon begin delivering prescriptions directly to pharmacies electronically, eliminating paper scripts. Doctors are using a voice recognition system when they dictate reports and orders, making them immediately available. And nurses now use a biometric identification system at workstations to access computer systems.

Most community hospitals are working on implementing such systems, Robinson said, but often struggle with initial costs.

"We all know that electronic data is much easier to use and it’s much more efficient from a caregiver’s standpoint. The question is how to get from point A to point B," he said.

Contact Neal P. Goswami at ngoswami@benningtonbanner.com