BALTIMORE, MD – Health information exchanges are taking root throughout the Eastern seaboard, with Maryland the latest state to support interoperability.

State officials announced Wednesday the unanimous approval of up to $10 million in startup funding to support the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP), a not-for-profit membership corporation advised by a wide range of the state’s healthcare stakeholders.

The Maryland Health Care Commission issued an award to CRISP in 2008 to develop a plan for the implementation of a consumer-centric private and secure health information exchange where the patient controls the flow of their information. During the planning phase, CRISP implemented a service to provide real-time electronic medication histories to patients being treated in the emergency room at Memorial Hospital in Easton.  The organization submitted its report to the MHCC in February and was designated Maryland’s health information exchange.

“Combined with the widespread adoption of electronic health records by hospitals and physicians, health information exchange is one of two critical components to building a truly integrated, 21^st Century healthcare delivery system,” said David Horrocks, CRISP’s president. “Maryland has positioned itself as a leader in this critical endeavor.”

“Americans are paying attention to healthcare issues now more than ever. And we know we have to create a more efficient system, added Mark Kelemen, a CRISP board member, cardiologist and chief medical informatics officer of the University of Maryland Medical System. "Patient controlled, privacy protected HIE is an excellent first step,”

The startup funding will be accrued through hospital reimbursement rate adjustments and used over the next two to five years to build the HIE. State and CRISP officials say this setup positions Maryland to apply later this year for further funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

“By linking health systems and hospitals throughout Maryland, doctors will gain the ability to make better decisions by having more information available at the point of care,” said Matt Narrett, a CRISP board member, geriatrician and chief medical officer of Erickson Retirement Communities in Catonsville, Md. “Not only should this lower cost and boost outcomes, it should boost the patient experience as well.”

The Maryland announcement follows by two weeks the launches of two separate health information exchanges a little farther north. On July 20, Transforming Healthcare in Connecticut Communities (THICC) announced the launch of a statewide HIE linking, at the outset, 20 hospitals, several health centers and a number of physician communities and group practices. That same day, ten healthcare organizations in New York City announced the launch of the New York Clinical Information Exchange (NYCLIX), which links 11 hospitals, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, the Institute of Family Health community health center and a faculty practice organization.

On July 31, HealthInfoNet officials in Maine announced the launch of the biggest statewide health information exchange in the country that exchanges clinical data.