Health Information Technology Update on the Texas Landscape Presentation to TASSCC

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Health Information TechnologyUpdate on the Texas
LandscapePresentation to TASSCCs State of the
State Conference

• Nora Belcher
• Texas e-Health Alliance
• December 10, 2010

2
Health Information TechnologyOverview

• Background
• Update on Texas Landscape
• Legislative Preview

3
Background Planning and Policy Development
Federal

• Initiated through April 2004 State of the Union
  address
• Furthered through the creation of the Office of
  the National Coordinator for Health Information
  Technology
• Ongoing federal health IT initiatives
• Open, deliberative policy development process
  (Health IT Policy Committee)
• Certification and standardization (Health IT
  Standards Committee)
• Health information exchange pilots (Nationwide
  Health Information Network)
• Privacy security (Health Information Security
  and Privacy Collaboration)
• New health IT initiatives through the ARRA

4
Background Planning and Policy Development
Federal

• Health IT initiatives created and funded through
  the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
  2009 (ARRA)
• Electronic health record incentives (estimated
  36-46 billion)
• Health information infrastructure (2 billion)
• State grants for HIE planning and implementation
• Health IT regional extension centers
• Health IT workforce program

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Texas Landscape State Funding and Projects

• State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program 28.8
  million HHSC/ Office of e-Health Coordination
  (OeHC)
• Medicaid Health IT Plan/EHR Incentive Payment
  Program 4.5 million planning HHSC/Medicaid
• Health IT Regional Extension Centers (REC) 35.7
  million 4 awards
• Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects
  (SHARP) 15 million UT Health Science Center,
  Houston
• Beacon Community Program 8 Texas applicants, 0
  awards
• Health IT Workforce Grants 5.4 million Texas
  State University, San Marcos

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• Develop implement a state plan for HIE
• Support the development of local regional HIE
• Foster the development of HIT policy for the
  state
• 28.8m planning implementation funds through
  ONC via MOU with HHSC

• Pass through Medicaid incentive funds up to 2b
  through 2019
• Develop implement a Medicaid HIE (HB 1218)
• Pass through planning and implementation funds to
  THSA

• ONC award Strategic Health IT Advanced Research
  Projects (SHARP) for research on barriers to EHR
  adoption UTHSC- Houston, 15M
• ONC award Program of Assistance for
  University-Based Training to increase
  availability of HIT professionals Texas State
  University, 5.4m

• Funded by ONC to offer technical assistance,
  guidance information on best practices to
  support accelerate efforts to become meaningful
  users of EHRs
• CentrEast REC (TAMU) 5.3m
• North TX REC (DFW Hospital Council) 8.5m
• West TX HIT REC (Texas Tech) 6.7m
• Gulf Coast REC (UTHSC) 15.2m

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Texas Health Services Authority

• State plan approved in November 2010
• Established a Collaboration Council and a number
  of working groups on specific topics
• Moving into procurement phase
• Local HIE RFA
• White Space RFA
• State Level Services
• THSA undergoes Sunset in 2013

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Texas Legislative Activity

• Increasing interest in health IT in the Texas
  Legislature
• Before 2005 0 health IT bills filed
• 2005 1 health IT bill filed
• 2007 6 health IT bills filed
• 2009 30 health IT bills filed
• 81st Regular Legislative Session (2009 )
• Health passport expansion
• Electronic prescribing (also LBB report)
• Medicaid-based HIE

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Texas Legislative Issues

• Privacy and Security
• Regulation
• Telemedicine and Telehealth
• Scope of Practice
• Medicaid Managed Care Expansion
• Federal Health Care Reform
• Health Insurance Exchange

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Future Activities

• The Texas path forward
• State HIE planning and implementation grant
• THSA and workgroups
• Clear role for local HIEs
• State Medicaid Health IT Plan development and
  implementation
• Other, Ongoing Texas state-level projects
• Office of e-Health Coordination
• Medicaid HIE Initiative
• Private-sector developments
• Regional initiatives
• Stakeholders (employers, payers, etc.)

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What Does It Mean For You?

• Major open questions
• Funding/sustainability
• Achieving population and geographic coverage
  network topology
• Patient involvement in HIE consent? How much?
• Provider liability
• Impact on state agencies
• Direct impact
• Indirect impact

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Helpful Links

http//www.txrecs.org/ http//www.cms.gov/EHRInce
ntivePrograms/ http//www.thsa.org/ http//www.t
mhp.com/Pages/HealthIT/HIT_Home.aspx http//www.h
imss.org/
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Questions?

• Nora Belcher
• Executive Director
• Texas e-Health Alliance
• nora_at_txeha.org
• [phone]