Federal Telemedicine Update

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Wyoming Establishing a Regional Health Information Organization

The Wyoming Healthcare Commission, Subcommittee on Health Information Technology has been meeting to study and develop a plan to implement electronic health records in the state. John Snow Inc. was chosen to do a study to analysis what is essential for health information technology to take place in Wyoming.

The goals of the Wyoming Electronic Health Records Study are to:

• Develop a statewide electronic health record model
  
• Identify a model for funding the EHR
  
• Define a supportive governance model such a an RHIO
  
• Propose a timeline for implementation
  
• Promote open standards and business policies for data sharing
  

At a meeting in July, Dr. Scott Young, AHRQ said there are about 20 RHIOs up and running. Most are nonprofit, quasi-governmental entities. He said only two are in the black that do not require a steady influx of money such as Utah Health Information Network and the New England Health Information Network. One uses a subscription model, and the other shaves off a small amount of money per transaction. He also said that AHRQ has not worked with a state as rural as Wyoming and indicated that Wyoming is well positioned to pursue agency support.

The Healthcare Commission felt that they were on the right track, but it was felt at a formation meeting held August 11, 2005, that a board needed to be formed to finalize the project to be called WYHIO. According to the Star-Tribune, the board would include representatives from the Wyoming Department of Health, Wyoming Primary Care Association, and Black Hills Bentonite, Great West Insurance, Wyoming Hospital Association and the Wyoming Medical Society