The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) and its Office of Health Information Technology and Transparency (OHITT) are collaborating with Georgia’s key health care stakeholders to develop and implement plans to guide the first statewide health information exchange (HIE).

As the state-designated entity for health information technology in Georgia, DCH was awarded a $13 million grant through U.S. Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology thanks to the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) of 2009.

“DCH is proud to lead the development of a statewide health information exchange that will improve the quality of care Georgians receive in health care settings across the state,” said Ruth Carr, State HITT Coordinator.

“The HHS grant will empower the Department to achieve its overarching goal of health care provider usage and access to electronic health records (EHRs) and their participation in a statewide health information exchange.”

To foster EHR adoption and use, the Georgia Regional Extension Center (GA-HITREC) was formed at the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine through a $19 million HITECH Act grant. GA-HITREC will deliver EHR education, training and technical assistance to priority primary care providers in the state. Working together, GA-HITREC and DCH will increase awareness and understanding about EHR value in improving quality, safety and effectiveness of care among providers, payers and consumers. Currently, there are fewer than ten health information exchanges operating in Georgia. Examples include the Central Georgia Health Exchange in Macon and the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council in Savannah. None of these exchanges, however, has the capability of connecting all Georgia providers, hospitals, pharmacies, labs, imaging centers, payer groups, immunization registries and more.

Once operational, participants in the statewide HIE will be able to access and retrieve the right information at the right time in the right place throughout Georgia. The statewide HIE will also be aligned with the Nationwide Health Information Exchange.

The statewide HIE is expected to transform health care by fostering better decision-making, enhancing the continuity and coordination of care, reducing inflationary health care costs and stimulating economic development. Georgia’s Statewide HIE Strategic and Operational Plan will be submitted to the ONC on August 31, 2010.