$10 Million in Startup Funding Approved for Maryland Health Informatio...( BALTIMORE Aug 5 -- Again...),Health

BALTIMORE, Aug 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Against the backdrop of the national health care reform debate, Maryland has taken an important step in fostering the use of interoperable technology to reduce health care costs and improve the quality of care for all Marylanders.

The Health Services Cost Review Commission, the state agency that sets reimbursement rates for hospitals, today unanimously approved up to $10 million in startup funding through hospital reimbursement rate adjustments that will be used over the next two to five years to build a statewide health information exchange. This funding positions Maryland to apply for further funding for its health information exchange through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 later this year.

"Combined with the widespread adoption of electronic health records by hospitals and physicians, health information exchange is one of two critical components to building a truly integrated, 21st-century health care delivery system," said David Horrocks, the president of the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP), which is the organization chosen by the state to build the health information exchange. "Maryland has positioned itself as a leader in this critical endeavor."

"Americans are paying attention to health care issues now more than ever. And we know we have to create a more efficient system. Patient controlled, privacy protected HIE is an excellent first step," said Dr. Mark Kelemen, CRISP board member, cardiologist, and Chief Medical Informatics Officer of the University of Maryland Medical System.

The funding approval comes several weeks after the Maryland Health Care Commission, the state agency responsible for the development and implementation of the statewide health information exchange, unanimously approved CRISP as the state's formally designated health information exch
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