For more information contact:
Karla Hurter
For: eHealth Initiative
khurter@health2resources.com
(703) 319-0957

September 26, 2006, Washington, D.C. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen was among high-ranking officials from three states lauded by the eHealth Initiative (eHI) for their contributions to the advance state-level infrastructure to support electronic health information exchange. The honors were bestowed at a dinner honoring leaders from 45 states during eHI's Third HIT Summit, held Sept. 25-27 in Washington, D.C. at the Renaissance Hotel.

These state leaders are blazing a trail for HIT that will propel the implementation of data exchange to improve the safety, effectiveness and quality of healthcare for the citizens of their states, said Janet Marchibroda, eHI's chief executive officer and emcee for the honoree dinner.

During Mondays HIT Summit, representatives from 45 states met in a "National Assembly of State Leaders to discuss initiatives at the state level, which have expanded dramatically in number and scope over the last two years. Monday evening, eHI hosted a dinner to honor the entire group of state leaders and specifically the accomplishments of Gov. Bredesen, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, and Michigan Representative Gary Newell. Antoine Agassi, Gov. Bredesens appointee as chairman and director of Tennessees eHealth Advisory Council, accepted the honor on the governors behalf.

"Tennessee is unique and fortunate to have a governor who is healthcare savvy, understands the challenges of today's healthcare environment and is committed to overcoming those challenges with the help of the new technologies available to us, Agassi said. Tennessee met the challenge of bringing financial stability to an out-of-control expanded Medicaid program and now we are implementing initiatives for healthy children, affordable health insurance and prescription drugs for the uninsured and disease management for the chronically ill -- all of which will succeed with the help of our eHealth initiatives."

Gov. Bredesen was singled out for his ongoing role supporting the development of a portfolio of health information technology initiatives to improve the quality of healthcare delivered in the state. This spring, Gov. Bredesen appointed members to Tennessees eHealth Advisory Council, which he chartered by executive order. The Council charge is to create a plan to promote the use of electronic medical records (EMRs) by health care stakeholders across Tennessee, and to identify obstacles to the implementation of an effective health information infrastructure. The Council advises the state government on how to more effectively promote the successful adoption of EMRs.

Gov. Bredesen has offered his active support for several HIT projects underway across the state, including:

• CareSpark, operating in the Tri-cities Area, is a coalition of physicians, hospitals, employers, health plans and community leaders. The state has committed $1 million to support this regional initiative for health information exchange. CareSpark participates in the Central Appalachian region's health information exchange initiative, working in across state lines to connect stakeholders in northeastern Tennessee, southwest Virginia, southeastern Kentucky and West Virginia.
• MidSouth eHealth Alliance, operating in the Memphis area, is partnering with Vanderbilt University to develop a broad, subscriber-based data-sharing organization working toward a model for electronic medical records that could be applied nationally. The state has committed just under $9 million over five years to this effort and is also leveraging an additional $5 million from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Tennessee is one of only five states to receive this AHRQ grant.
• Shared Health, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, is partnering with TennCare to implement an electronic medical record initiative in the Medicaid population.
• Innovative Valley Health Information Network (IVHIN), based in Knoxville, is in the early stages of an EMR project. The Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Excellence, a Boston-based nonprofit agency, working through the Patient Safety Institute, awarded a grant of $985,000 to the Eastern Tennessee Health Information Network to launch the project linking data from four major hospitals: Baptist Health System, Covenant Health, St. Mary's Health System and University Health System.

Since 2004, eHI has been providing leadership and support to states, regions and communities who are improving health and healthcare through HIT and health information exchange. In its work over the years at both the national and local levels, eHI has developed resources and tools designed to support the many stakeholders in this effort to navigate the organizational, legal, financial, clinical and technical aspects of health information exchange.

About eHealth Initiative and its Foundation

The eHealth Initiative and its Foundation are independent, non-profit affiliated organizations whose missions are the same: to drive improvements in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology.

eHI engages multiple stakeholders, including clinicians, consumer and patient groups, employers, health plans, healthcare IT suppliers, hospitals and other providers, laboratories, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, pharmacies, public health, and public sector agencies, as well as its growing coalition of more than 280 state, regional and community-based collaboratives, to develop and disseminate common principles, policies and best practices for improving the quality, safety and effectiveness of America's healthcare through information and information technology.

For more information, go to http://www.ehealthinitiative.org.