ONC Listening Session June 26, 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Section 3013: State Grant Program

Section 3013: State Grants to Promote HIT A program to facilitate and expand the electronic movement and use of health information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards. Information exchange to improve the quality of health care is a requirement for the meaningful EHR use incentives. Depending on maturity of efforts re: health information exchange, a state or state designated entity will be eligible for either a Planning grant or an Implementation grant.  Planning grants will assist states in developing a roadmap to implement statewide health information exchange consistent with the meaningful EHR use criteria.  Implementation grants will assist states with acting on approved roadmaps to build statewide health information exchange capacity consistent with meaningful EHR use criteria.  Planning and implementation should be done in coordination with Medicaid to ensure the direct relevance and support for meaningful use of EHRs.

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS Planning and Implementation grants should be pursued in the public interest and be consistent with the National Coordinator’s plans.  Federal – State partnership is key! Funds shall be used to facilitate and expand HIE according to nationally recognized standards and to:  Enhance broad and varied participation.  Assist in identifying state or local resources to support a nationwide effort.  Complement other federal grants and programs.  Provide technical assistance to overcome barriers to exchange.  Promote effective strategies to support exchange in underserved communities.  Assist patients in utilizing health information technology.  Encourage clinicians to utilize Regional Extension Centers for technical assistance.  Support public health agencies authorized use of and access to health information.  Promote use for quality improvement, including reporting on quality measures. The Secretary shall ensure continuous improvement based on annual evaluation and implementation of lessons learned.  Funding will be tied to approaches that lead towards the greatest improvement in quality of care, decrease in costs and the most effective authorized and secure HIE.

QUALIFIED STATE DESIGNATED ENTITIES (QSDE)  Health care providers  Health plans  Patient or consumer organizations  HIT vendors  Health care purchasers/employers States may appoint a QSDE to carry out the work specified in Section A QSDE should meet the following criteria:  Be designated by the state as eligible to receive awards.  Be a not-for profit entity with broad stakeholder representation on its governing board.  Demonstrate that one of its principal goals is to use information technology to improve health care quality and efficiency through the authorized and secure electronic exchange and use of health information.  Adopt non-discrimination and conflict of interest policies that demonstrate a commitment to open, fair and non-discriminatory participation by stakeholders. A QSDE should consult with and consider the recommendations of:  Public health agencies  Health professions schools  Universities  Clinical researchers  Users such as clerical staff

Section 3013: State Grants to Promote HIT  Planning (30 Minutes) What should be included in a comprehensive state plan? To what extent should state plans address provider HIT adoption? How should statewide plans for HIT be coordinated with Medicaid plans related to HITECH implementation and meaningful EHR use incentives? Do current state plans represent the interest of public health programs, rural and underserved communities, long- term care, and other vulnerable populations? To make a comment: Please press *1 on your touch tone phone’s keypad to request your line to be opened. Your line will be placed in a queue in the order by which caller dialed in first. If you wish to remove yourself from the queue, just press *1 once again.

Section 3013: State Grants to Promote HIT  Governance (30 Minutes) What criteria are important for the appointment of “Qualified State Designated Entities?” What are effective alternatives within state government for governance of HIE that incorporates a diverse set of stakeholders and also meets the Congressional intent of Qualified State Designated Entities? To make a comment: Please press *1 on your touch tone phone’s keypad to request your line to be opened. Your line will be placed in a queue in the order by which caller dialed in first. If you wish to remove yourself from the queue, just press *1 once again.

Section 3013: State Grants to Promote HIT  Technical Assistance (25 minutes) What types of technical assistance might states or Qualified State Designated Entities need while 1) developing a state plan, 2) responding to a grant solicitation for this program, and 3) while developing health information exchange capacity within your state? To make a comment: Please press *1 on your touch tone phone’s keypad to request your line to be opened. Your line will be placed in a queue in the order by which caller dialed in first. If you wish to remove yourself from the queue, just press *1 once again.