A group of prominent officials from Nebraska presented the state’s model for integrating information technology into health care Tuesday at a national conference organized by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy led the contingent of academic, business, health care and government leaders at the “Center for Health Transformation (CHT) Connectivity Conference: Accelerating Transformation through Health IT.” The conference’s intent was to explore the nuts and bolts of effective strategies and tactics for connecting local and regional communities. Nebraska’s group was invited to present its progress in collaborating in health care information technology. Gingrich is the founder of the CHT, and served as the moderator at the conference.
“We’re excited and honored to be asked to present the Nebraska Model, regarding the integration of information technology into our health care system,” Sheehy said prior to the conference. “Our message is centered on the state’s success in public-private partnerships, and how we’re able to work together to fulfill a common vision. Many different groups have worked together, and will continue to work together, to implement appropriate information technology to make sure our citizens receive the best health care in the nation.”
Presenting with Sheehy at Tuesday’s conference in Washington, D.C., were:
- Harold M. Maurer, M.D., chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center;
- Steven S. Martin, president and CEO of BlueCross/Blue Shield;
- Todd Sorensen, M.D., CEO of Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff;
- Harris Frankel, M.D., an Omaha physician and chairman of the Nebraska Medical Association’s (NMA) Electronic Health Records Task Force;
- James Canedy, M.D., president of SimplyWell, a health risk management corporation in Omaha; and,
- Bob Bell, retired CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and current vice president for community and business development for UNeMed, UNMC’s technology transfer company.
Nebraska has been at the forefront to create awareness and build consensus to help structure and mold a statewide program to become one of the first states to effectively apply information technology to improve the health of Nebraskans and the quality of health care in Nebraska.
One of the state’s main focuses in health-related information technology is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). Under the plan, all citizens would be enrolled in a secure, Internet-based, patient-controlled system. This would allow health providers access to a patient’s medical records, with that individual’s permission, from anywhere with secure Internet access.
President George W. Bush initiated a program in April 2004 to make EHR a national reality within a decade. Nebraska had a jump-start in this effort, Dr. Maurer said, because of a broad-based study, the Nebraska Biomedical Informatics Project (NBIP), which was convened by then-Lt. Gov. Dave Heineman in 2003.
“Through the NBIP, business, government, health care, community and education groups studied this issue intently, and their major recommendation was to embark on a statewide effort to have all Nebraskans with an electronic health record, precisely the same recommendation that President Bush made months later,” Dr. Maurer said.
“Because we are forward-thinking and because our partnerships are so strong, we’re well ahead of the rest of the nation on this project, but more work needs to be done.”
Bell credited Blue Cross/Blue Shield Nebraska in stepping forward to lead the implementation of a pilot demonstration, or the “proof of concept”, for the electronic health records. The Nebraska Hospital Association and the Nebraska Medical Association also have effectively shepherded the effort to insure its inclusiveness for all of the state’s citizens, including those in rural areas.
“This is a great example of how Nebraska is leading the way in an area that could have huge implications for the entire country,” said David G. Brown, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. “We’re excited about this project and feel that it could have significant economic impact once it comes to fruition.”
Nebraska’s internal project to form a Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) is the Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII). The NeHII has engaged a consultant to help build consensus and insure lessons learned from other projects across the United States are implemented into the Nebraska plan. The NeHII has devoted eight months to achieve awareness and buy-in from the health care community. The detailed business plan should be approved before the pilot project begins in the first quarter of 2006.
For more information on the conference, visit the Center for Health Transformation Web site at www.healthtransformation.net.