Gov. Tim Pawlenty and leaders from major Minnesota hospitals and health plans made the announcement today. They said the Minnesota Health Information Exchange initially will transmit medication histories, lab orders and test results among providers and labs.
Future services will include radiology reports, disease reporting for public health and e-prescribing, according to the announcement.
Minnesota already was regarded as a leader in health information technology because it has mandated paperless health insurance claims, e-prescribing for state employees and e-health records for all Minnesotans by 2015. The new HIE will provide a network for the transmission of EHRs.
"This exchange is the only public/private partnership of its kind," Pawlenty said in a statement. "It will support and build on the critical initiatives taking place in the health care system today, including quality improvement efforts of our providers, the availability of quality and pricing information to consumers, paying providers for good outcomes and the adoption of evidence-based guidelines."
The HIE will operate as a nonprofit corporation. The founders have contributed seed money. Subscriber fees will pay for operations.
The founders said privacy protections will be in place. Patients will have to grant permission for health care providers to access their information. Nonetheless, the announcement drew sharp criticism from Twila Brase, president of a Minnesota-based organization called the Citizens' Council on Health Care.
Brase called the HIE “a serious threat to patient privacy and patient control over medical treatment decisions,” adding that "once patients understand that government can access their entire medical record, they will be less likely to seek medical care or to fully disclose all the details necessary to receive the right care."
Besides the state Department of Human Services, the founding partners in the HIE are Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, HealthPartners and the Medica health insurance plan.
Other health care providers are supporting the project, and others are expected to be added in coming months.
Related Links
- Minnesota will require EHRs by 2015
- Experts see need for federal financing of NHIN
- Insurers tout efforts to promote health IT
Autor(en)/Author(s): Nancy Ferris
Quelle/Source: Government Health IT, 10.09.2007
