Georgia in spotlight for HIEs

By John Andrews, Contributing Editor

The host state for HIMSS10 will be well represented at the HIE Symposium as state officials integral to the development of Georgia’s health information exchange will give an update on their efforts Sunday, Feb. 28, at 8:30 AM in the Georgia World Congress Center.
Rep. Phil Gingrey, MD, (R-Ga.), and Rhonda Medows, MD, Commissioner and State Health Officer for the Georgia Department of Community Health, will offer their assessments of “The National Landscape of HIEs” for symposium attendees. The opening session will also feature an update from the Office of the National Coordinator on interoperability and the Healthcare Information Technology Regional Extension Center program.

Elected to Congress in 2002, Gingrey draws strongly from his background as a physician to shape the nation’s healthcare policy in the House of Representatives. He currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Science and Technology Committee and in the 110th Congress served as ranking member of the Science Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. Through these roles, he has become an outspoken advocate for healthcare IT.

Medows has helped design the strategic vision for how the state is planning to distribute funding to advance HIE and HIT initiatives. In her role as commissioner, she leads an $11 billion agency responsible for the purchasing, planning and regulation of healthcare for more than 2.1 million state residents.

During the session, the physicians will discuss whether HIEs should be supported by the public in the same way as highways and utilities; the role for private and for-profit health information organizations and the pros and cons of state legislatures embracing HIEs.

The speakers will also share their views on the public and private policy decisions related to government engagement in HIEs; identify financial and organizational issues that can promote or diminish HIO success; and describe how public and private leaders might balance their expectations for HIO sustenance, responsibility, promise and transparency.

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