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Learn more about HealthInfoNet at our redesigned website
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System "Go Live" Milestone Expected In February
By the end of February all six provider sites taking part in HealthInfoNet's Demonstration Phase will have begun to upload patient specific data into the HealthInfoNet system.
The "go live" process now underway represents a major milestone in HIN's development, even though patient information coming in from provider sites will not be used by clinicians to make treatment decisions until some time this spring. Since August, the six provider sites have been connected through a secure virtual Private Network or VPN. HealthInfoNet will soon start adding additional categories of clinical data and testing the exchange for a five to six month period to insure that the system is ready for use by clinicians for treatment purposes. Provider sites include Central Maine Health Care, Eastern Maine Health Systems, Franklin Memorial, MaineGeneral, Maine Health and Martin's Point Health Care.
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Howes Is New Chair of HealthInfoNet Board
David Howes, MD, president and CEO of Martin's Point Health Care, has been elected chair of the HealthInfoNet Board of Directors. Dr. Howes has served as a board member of HealthInfoNet since the organization's inception in January of 2006.
Dr. Howes succeeds Chuck Hewett, Ph.D., who has served as HealthInfoNet's board chair for the past three years. Hewett is Chief Operating Officer of the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. Hewett will remain on the board of directors as immediate past chair. Other officers elected to new terms on the board include Dan Coffey, Executive Vice President, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Brewer (Vice Chair); Nona Boyink, President of HealthReach Network and MaineGeneral Rehab and Nursing Care in Waterville (Secretary); and Richard "Skip" White, Market Service Leader, Cigna Healthcare of Maine in Falmouth (Treasurer).
Also elected to the HealthInfoNet Board of Directors was Barry Blumenfeld, M.D., Chief Information Officer at MaineHealth in Portland and attorney and state legislator Peter Mills of Somerset County.
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| "The estimated annual savings associated with HealthInfoNet make a compelling argument for ongoing investment in Maine's electronic health information exchange." Shaun Alfreds, Center for Health Policy & Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School and David Witter, former CEO of University Hospital, Oregon Health Sciences University
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Study Finds HealthInfoNet May Save $50 Million or More Per Year
A major new independent study estimates that more than $50 million per year may be saved as health care providers across Maine turn to HealthInfoNet to coordinate patient care and make more informed treatment decisions.
These savings should allow providers to reduce the rate of growth in charges and cost shifting and impact commercial insurance premiums paid by employers and indivdiduals.
The study---conducted by the Center for Health Policy & Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School---was presented recently to the HealthInfoNet Board of Directors and a special Stakeholder Group (see below) established by the Legislature and Governor John Baldacci.
The study examined savings that are expected to result from the reduction of unnecessary or duplicative lab tests and imaging studies. It also estimated substantial productivity savings as physicians and their associates reduce the amount of time they now spend tracking down the information they need from multiple sources in order to make treatment decisions.
Additional savings are anticipated as HealthInfoNet adds comprehensive patient-specific medication profiles and other data to Maine's statewide health information exchange.
Although the primary goal of HealthInfoNet is to improve quality and allow care to be better coordinated among multiple providers, the system should substantially moderate the growth of costs---an especially important benefit as the state's economy worsens. These savings will be seen as providers are able to reduce charges for services and tests that are no longer ordered. These savings will have an important impact on the MaineCare and Medicare programs. As cost shifting declines, consumers should witness lower rates of growth in commercial premiums and out of pocket expenses.
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Financing Plan Takes Shape for New Statewide HIT Fund |
Following a six-meeting process that began last May, a special Stakeholder Group established by the Legislature and the Governor has finalized a set of recommendations aimed at accelerating the adoption of electronic medical records and assuring the long term sustainability of HealthInfoNet. An extensive report containing these recommendations has been provided to the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee.
More than two-dozen organizations representing a wide range of interests have taken an active part in this process. The Group has recommended a financing plan for a new statewide Health IT Fund and state funding to allow the completion of HealthInfoNet's 24-month Demonstration Phase and then cover approximately one third of of HealthInfoNet's projected $6 million annual operating costs. The HIT Fund would make available low interest loans and grants to providers who do not have the resources to acquire electronic systems. More information about the Stakeholder Process and its recommendations is available at www.hinfonet.org or by contacting HealthInfoNet Executive Director Devore Culver at dculver@hinfonet.org.
Meanwhile, support appears to be growing for plans to direct substantial funds from President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan toward health IT. HealthInfoNet is in close contact with Maine's Congressional Delegation, which is pushing for funding to be designated for the further development of statewide health information exchanges such as HealthInfoNet. At press time, the U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would invest more than $5 billion over the next year in Health IT. |
Other News From Across Maine....
....Eastern Maine Medical Center is this year's only winner of the 2008 Nicholas E. Davies Organizational Award of Excellence, sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). This prestigious award is given to select hospitals in the country for effectively using information technology to improve the safety and quality of patient care. The application process is rigorous, culminating with a two-day onsite survey by a team of adjudicators. ..Maine DHHS Commissioner Brenda Harvey has signed a declaration certifying the HealthInfoNet will benefit MaineCare members and the overall administration of the MaineCare program. This designation is expected to help lay the groundwork for information-sharing between MaineCare and HealthInfoNet. The recently completed ROI study presented to the Sustainability Stakeholder Group (see related stories at right) projects substantial savings will be achieved if MaineCare is able to participate in the new system. MaineCare is represented on the HealthInfoNet Board of Directors by Medical Director Rod Prior, M.D.
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