BATON ROUGE—The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum will receive a $10.58 million federal grant to guide the planning and implementation process of bringing Electronic Medical Records and modernized Information Technology to the people of Louisiana.
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine designated the Quality Forum to lead the planning and implementation of the health information exchange to assist health care providers in modernizing technology and adopting interoperable health records. The primary goal of the four-year project is to develop a health information exchange that will facilitate the sharing of health information, like electronic medical records, electronically throughout the state between health care providers.
This grant follows the more than $20 million invested in the last two years by Governor Jindal and the Legislature to assist rural hospitals in modernizing technology and deploying digital health information systems. An example of the benefits of these investments is a digital mammography program provided to women in rural communities who would not have otherwise had access.
"Harnessing the power of technology to integrate communication and data between health care providers and their patients, and ensuring every Louisianan has access to an Electronic Medical Record are the keys to producing better health outcomes, controlling costs and reducing health disparities," Levine said. "This investment will improve patient-care coordination and control costs, leading to a higher quality, more efficient care delivery system. "
"Our goal is to make critical components of health information available to health care providers," said Cindy Munn, executive director of the Quality Forum. "Ultimately, this will improve the quality of care provided to the patient."
The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum will work with existing exchanges to facilitate participation in the statewide effort, said project manager Jenny Smith. "Our approach will be to identify the infrastructure that meets the needs of all stakeholders and leverage as much existing investment as possible."
"We also recognize that building a statewide health information exchange is not enough. We will help health care providers use and exchange clinical data in an effective and secure manner," said Smith.
"Privacy and security protections are critical to successful health information exchange. We will look to state and federal laws for guidance," said Munn.
Munn said the role of Quality Forum is to facilitate a public and private collaboration in moving health information technology forward. "This will not be an overnight phenomenon. It will take time to improve health outcomes, but health information exchange is an important advancement for the health care industry. This is where health care is headed," said Munn.
As soon as funds are administered, the Quality Forum will work with stakeholders to draft and implement a state plan for the health information exchange. The organization seeks to engage physicians, consumers, healthcare organizations and other stakeholders in the collaborative decision-making process.
For more information on the Health Information Exchange, or to get involved, visit the Quality Forum website at www.lhcqf.org.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov.
The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum is a private, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to lead evidence-based, collaborative initiatives to improve the health of Louisiana citizens. The Quality Forum is governed by a 15 member volunteer Board of Directors representing a state-wide cross section of public and private healthcare leaders, major health care purchasers, health plans, providers, and consumer advocacy groups. The organization is working collaboratively with stakeholder partners to actively engage with health care organizations to implement quality improvements, increase cost-effectiveness, and achieve better health outcomes statewide. LHCQF is the State's designated entity for applying for grants for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
