The Florida Health Information Network is a statewide collaboration of regional health information organizations (RHIOs) and the Agency for Health Care Administration. The Florida Health Information Network vision is a fully integrated clinical health information exchange in Florida. This will be accomplished through a statewide health information network that will empower physicians to access timely and accurate medical records in order to deliver the highest quality medical care for their patients. An essential element of the strategic plan is to empower local stakeholder collaborations focused on health information exchange.
The Florida Health Information Network (FHIN) is being developed at the local community level across Florida. The driver of this plan is the FHIN Grants Program and the Regional Health Information Organizations in local communities around Florida. The final goal of the Florida Health Information Network is to integrate Florida’s Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) networks into a seamless health information exchange. The success of the statewide network depends on the long term sustainability of each local RHIO, and their collective ability to work together to achieve a common goal of exchanging medical records for the benefit of patients across the state.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), Florida Center for Health Information and Policy Analysis, was awarded a contract from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that runs through September 2009 for a pilot project to study new ways to approach hospital quality measures. The pilot project funding is provided to add clinical laboratory data to the hospital administrative data already collected by AHCA under statutory authority. By adding clinical data to administrative data, AHRQ hopes to develop better predictors for hospital quality indicators. Florida is one of only three states that have received these grants.
To read more about the AHRQ Adding Clinical Data Pilot Project visit the project page at: http://www.fhin.net/FHIN/HITinitiatives/AHRQaddingClinData.shtml
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letters for grant award offers were sent to recipients at the end of July, 2007. Funding was approved for the following:
Northwest Florida Regional Health Information Organization - $296,250
Big Bend Regional Healthcare Information Organization - $249,750
Florida Health Care Coalition - $200,000
Duval County Health Department - $406,944
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs - $70,614
Health Foundation of South Florida - $284,924
Palm Beach County Community Health Alliance, Inc. - $244,900
Tampa Bay Partnership Regional Research & Education Foundation, Inc. - $246,618
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 408.0611, F.S. was created with the intent to "...promote the implementation of electronic prescribing by health care practitioners, health care facilities, and pharmacies in order to prevent prescription drug abuse, improve patient safety, and reduce unnecessary prescriptions. To that end, it is the intent of the Legislature to create a clearinghouse of information on electronic prescribing to convey the process and advantages of electronic proscribing; to provide information regarding the availability of electronic prescribing products, including no cost or low-cost products; and to regularly convene stakeholders to assess and accelerate the implementation of electronic prescribing...."
To view available information regarding electronic prescribing, please click on the above menu link titled "Florida ePrescribe Clearinghouse".
|
