Mississippi’s “Strategic Master Plan for IT for 2014-2016” published July 2013 discusses the state’s IT ongoing efforts to work with their combination Medicaid EHR and e-prescribing system. In 2010, the State implemented the combined Medicaid EHR and e-Prescribing System called MEHRS/eScript supporting 650,000 beneficiaries. By the end of 2011, the system was used by 2,000 Medicaid providers and by an additional 1,200 clinical support staff members.
During 2013, Medicaid has been working on an ONC-ATCB Certified version of the MEHRS/eScript system to allow providers to qualify for Medicaid EHR Incentive Payments funded by the HITECH Act.
The Mississippi Coastal Health Information Exchange (MSCHIE) was initiated a few years ago. MSCHIE operates with three disparate coastal stakeholders sharing basic clinical information, lab results, and medication histories with more hospital participants being added.
With funding available to establish the Mississippi Health Information Network (MS-HIN), the next steps were to develop the sustainability model, pricing for services, conduct an aggressive campaign to promote participation, and expand connectivity. Currently there are ten hospitals connected using the full capabilities of the MS-HIN and another 22 hospitals in varying stages of implementation.
MS-HIN is also working with the Mississippi Department of Health to coordinate public reporting requirements for participating providers as well as establishing a bi-directional Immunization Registry. There are over 900 end users using the MS-HIN with that number expected to double by February 2014.
The MS-HIN has also contracted with a Health Information Service Provider (HISP). Through the HISP, healthcare providers even those without EHRs are able to enroll for Direct Services and receive a Direct address based on federal standards. This Direct address enables healthcare providers to send and receive secure messaging from all other Direct participants within the state as well as throughout the nation.
Currently, the MS-HIN has 247 organizations including 32 hospitals along with 710 providers totaling over 1400 end-users enrolled in Direct. The MS-HIN continues to collaborate with the Mississippi Department of Health to find technical solutions on how to expand Direct Services to allow ambulatory providers to meet Meaningful Use criteria.
The Wireless Communication Commission (WCC) began the construction of the Mississippi Wireless Information Network (MSWIN) system in 2007 and has been operational statewide since March 2013. During this time, the primary focus of the WCC was to ensure that the build-out of the MSWIN system was achieved successfully.
The MSWIN is a statewide P-25 700 MHz Land Mobile Radio 9LMR wireless communication system providing voice and data services to over 17,000 first responders across the state on a 24/7 basis. This number continues to increase as local governments discover the tactical and economic benefits of the system.
Now that the MSWIN system is operational statewide, the WCC
is transitioning into an operation and maintenance phase which requires a high level of technical expertise and guidance to ensure that first responders have reliable communications with zero down time.
Go to www.its.ms.gov/Documents/master_plan_pdf to view the “Mississippi Strategic Master Plan for IT 2014-2016” published July 2013. Go to www.its.ms.gov for the Mississippi Department of IT Services or email Craig P Orgeron, Executive Director at orgeron@its.ms.gov.