• Mission & Governance
• Services Overview
• How to Get Involved
• Standing Committees
• NCSL Foundation

• Issue Areas: A-Z
• State-Federal Relations
• NCSL Standing Committees
• News from D.C. and the States

• About State Legislatures
• Elections, Campaigns & Redistricting
• NCSL's StateConnect Directory
• Web Sites

• Online Guide to NCSL Services
• Staff Sections and Networks
• Meetings & Professional Development
• Staff Directories

• Meetings Calendar
• Online Registration
• Meetings Home Page
• Legislative Summit

• Bookstore
• State Legislatures Magazine
• NCSL's StateConnect Directory

Reports from the State Alliance for e-Health: A three part series

This series of three web-assisted conferences will provide legislators and staff a glimpse into the deliberations of the State Alliance for e-Health. The Alliance has three task forces working to clarify areas where states may act and make recommendations. The tak foces are as follows the Health Information Communication and Data Exchange, addressing the role for public funded health programs in creating interoperable HIE, the Health Information Protection Taskforce, addressing information privacy and security, and the Health Care Practice Taskforce, addressing the practice of medicine. For more information on the Alliance and its taskforces, go to http://www.nga.org/center/ehealth.

This seies was produced by the National Conference of State Legislatures under contract with the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.  It was financed in part by funds provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services E-Health Alliance Initiative.   The programs content are solely the responsibility of the authors and participants and do not necessarily represent the official views of NGA, NCSL or USDHHS.

Part I: HIT and Medicaid Opporutinites for the States (June 1, 2007)

Part II: HIT and Telemedicine (July 20, 2007)

Part III: HIT and Privacy (August 30, 2007)

Reports from the State Alliance for e-Health  Part I: HIT and Medicaid: Opportunities for States
Friday, June 1

***FREE Archive is now available*** Free archive for this webcast is available here.  This webcast was produced by WebEx.

A consultation with experts from the State Alliance for e-Health Taskforce on Health Information Communication and Data Exchange.  Here are some of the questions addressed during the May 16-17 meeting:

How can states bring Medicaid and HIT activities together?  Can Medicaid create a funding stream to launch state-level HIT?  Does the 90-10 match for Medicaid IT apply to electronic health records?  Where have states found real savings through use of HIT for their Medicaid programs?  With vendors knocking at the door, what can states do to learn from one another about how various products work for Medicaid?  Transcripts of the May 16-17 meeting are available on-line at http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.1f41d49be2d3d33eacdcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=5066b5bd2b991110VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD#HIC. 

This is one of a planned series of three web-assisted conferences to provide legislators and staff a glimpse into the deliberations of the State Alliance for e-Health. The Alliance has three task forces working to clarify areas where states may act and make recommendations. The other two task forces are the Health Information Protection Taskforce, addressing information privacy and security, and the Health Care Practice Taskforce, addressing the practice of medicine. For more information on the Alliance and its taskforces, go to http://www.nga.org/center/ehealth.

Speakers:
Anthony D. Rodgers,
Task Force on Health Information Communication and Data Exchange Co-Chair
Director, Arizona AHCCCS (Medicaid and SCHIP programs)

Shaun Alfreds,
Health Policy Analyst
University of Southern Maine
Muskie School of Public Service
Institute for Health Policy

Event Resources:

PowerPoint presentations 

---

Reports from the State Alliance for e-Health Part 2:  HIT and Telemedicine
Friday, July 20

***FREE Archive is now available*** Free archive for this webcast is available here.  This webcast was produced by WebEx.

“The goals and activities of telemedicine and health IT are complementary and synergistic. Telemedicine is a method of delivering health care that makes use of health information technologies to accomplish its goals. Conversely, health information technologies (HIT) are an enabling component to the delivery of health services over distances, providing fundamental tools and systems. In short, HIT greatly enhances the utility of telemedicine.”
Telemedicine, Telehealth, and Health Information Technology: An ATA Issue Paper May, 2006 http://www.americantelemed.org/news/policy_issues/HIT_Paper.pdf

As more and more medical information is digitized, the lines between telehealth and health IT continue to blur and evolve. Where do telehealth and HIT overlap? Policymakers in states with frontier areas have been especially interested in opportunities to use telemedicine to bring better care to patients in remote areas, while telehealth offers models to prolong independence for individuals in declining health. Decisions related to privacy, security and financing for HIT may affect telehealth as well.  How can legislators address these? In addition to issues such as privacy and security, telehealth is influenced by policies and statutes that affect what is reimbursed and whether and how practitioners can practice remotely across state lines.

Join us for a discussion of the changing landscape and how state legislators can influence the joint evolution of HIT and telemedicine.

Speakers:
Senator Bob Hagedorn,
Chair, Health and Human Services Committee
Colorado

Jon Linkous,
Executive Director
American Telemedicine Association