An Update on the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
NC HIT Collaborative to Hold First Meeting on September 3
As reported previously, Governor Bev Perdue selected the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission as the "State-Designated Entity" that will lead NC's application for stimulus funding under the ARRA HITECH Act. NCHICA has already been working extensively with the Commission to position NC as a leader in applying for stimulus funding to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of services for health and healthcare in NC.
The Governor's Executive Order directed the Commission to establish the NC Health Information Technology Collaborative (HIT Collaborative). Stuart James, Chief Information Officer of University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, has been appointed Chair of the Collaborative, which includes NCHICA President Sam Spicer, MD. NCHICA Executive Director Holt Anderson will be an Ex-Officio member. Click here to see the current list of members. According to Al Delia, the policy director for Governor Perdue, "NCHICA is a key, if not the key, partner in moving this forward."
The HIT Collaborative shall make recommendations to the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission regarding the NC HIT Action Plan and accomplish the following:
- Act as a public-private partnership and serve as a focal point for health care stakeholders and key non-profit partners to build a plan on NC HIT policy priorities, and collaborate on state and regional HIT implementation efforts.
- Aim to create a secure, interoperable, statewide health information network that will advance the public's interest in health and improve the quality, safety, efficiency and accessibility of healthcare.
The HIT Collaborative will hold its first meeting, a public meeting, on September 3rd from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the McKimmon Center, located near NCSU at 1101 Gorman Street in Raleigh.
Additional information on the Commission, the HIT Collaborative, and ARRA may be found at: http://www.nchica.org/HIT_HIE/ARRA.htm. NCHICA will endeavor to keep you informed of the activities of the Collaborative.
ARRA Stimulus Funding Opportunities for NC Announced
On August 20th, the Office of the National Coordinator published guidance for the statewide HIE grants and the Regional Extension Centers. Both applications will be on very accelerated response schedules, with deadlines on September 8th, October 16th and November 3rd. Details on this guidance are available on the ARRA section of the newly redesigned NCHICA website:
In anticipation of a successful application from NC for the 3013 statewide HIE, several of the NCHICA NC HIE Council Committees have organized to aggregate background information to help inform NC’s application. The outlines for this information gathering and consensus building occurred at the meetings of the Privacy & Security Officials Workgroup and the NCHICA NC HIE Council's Policy Development and Finance & Administration Committees on August 26th. To participate in this online aggregation of information, please contact Andrew Weniger at andrew@nchica.org.
NC to Submit Response to SSA RFP for Disability Determinations
An NCHICA team recently responded to an RFI from the Social Security Administration (SSA) for Authorized Release of Medical Information through Integration with the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). The SSA has recently issued the follow-on RFP. Responses are due by September 18th. We welcome your organization's participation in this effort, with an emphasis on provider organizations and creative solutions to support interoperability in NC. If you'd like to participate, please email andrew@nchica.org.
NCHICA Elected to NHIN Governance Group
On August 27th, NCHICA was elected by the 14 non-governmental entities participating in the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) as one of two representatives to sit on the newly formed governance group – the NHIN Coordinating Committee. Other public and private members are appointed, rather than elected, based on their current usage of the NHIN. Holt Anderson, NCHICA Executive Director is pleased to fill this representative role for NHIN participants from across the country.
NCHICA NC HIE Council Meeting
The NCHICA NC HIE Council will hold its next meeting soon after the September 3rd NC HIT Collaborative meeting. Please check the NCHICA calendar at http://www.nchica.org/calendar.asp to verify the timing of this important meeting. The Council includes representatives from 20+ public and private healthcare stakeholders and is prepared to assist NC in successful responses to the ARRA requests for applications.
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