SACRAMENTO, CA – California is expected to choose soon which organization will be the state-designated entity tasked to create a statewide health information exchange (HIE) with ARRA funding.

The California eHealth Collaborative (CAeHC), one of the two organizations on the short list, believes it's in the best position to deliver connectivity for a state that large. Founded in 2005, CalRHIO is probably most well known in the industry for its work in providing emergency departments (EDs) with relevant medical data, an ideal base for the statewide project, say CalRHIO executives.

When the state originally put out its Request for Information for the state-designated organization, it was looking for an entity separate from the state that would set policy for organizations that would be providing services. The state changed its intent and now wants the state-designated entity to be a governing body that also operates some of the functions and focus on getting physicians to achieve meaningful use of health IT.

"We're prepared to do both," said Lori Hack, chair of CAeHC's board. As its track record shows, CAeHC can support local regions and existing HIEs to connect directly to the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). It is currently assessing its members' ability to plug into the NHIN via the NHIN CONNECT software.

ARRA changes things

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has enlarged CALRHIO'S focus.

“The HITECH Act has given us the opportunity to push forward and support all physicians to be EHR-enabled and have connectivity through health information exchange,” said Molly Coye, MD, president and CEO of CalRHIO. “Our strategy has changed and we welcome to put physician connection first.”

CalRHIO's initiatives align with the state’s requirement that the state-designated entity support physician adoption of health IT, Coye said. Under CalRHIO’s plan, California’s $40 million allotment would go to the Regional Extension Centers and other medical organizations to provide technical assistance to get physicians connected to the statewide HIE. Physicians have a choice in connecting to existing local HIEs, RECs, medical organizations or directly through CalRHIO, Coye said.

CAeHC, formed in February 2009 to advance health IT and HIE in California, has partnered with the National Coalition for Health Integration (NCHI), whose focus is on technology for physicians to achieve meaningful use. CAeHC is currently developing its model and working directly with physicians and hospitals to get them organized and prepared to apply for the federal stimulus dollars, Hack said. The participating physicians see value in getting data from their competitors in the form of a comprehensive view of the patient.

"They see the value in EMRs and connectivity," said Hack.