The Maryland Health Care Commission (MHHC) http://mhcc.maryland.gov issued an update December 2014 for the Center for Health Information and Innovation Care Delivery http://mhcc.maryland.gov/Pages/overview.aspx. First, the staff was able to finalize the 2015 Maryland hospital health IT survey and plans to distribute the survey electronically to CIOs at all 47 general acute care hospitals in Maryland.
The survey collects information on the hospitals’ adoption of EHRs, CPOE, clinical decision support, electronic medication administration records, bar code medication administration, infection surveillance software, electronic prescribing, HIEs, telehealth, patient portals, and hospital participation in the CMS EHR incentive program and meaningful use achievements.
The staff is also involved in discussions on telehealth demonstration projects that have been launched with three grantees to implement telehealth technology to improve the coordination of care between a Comprehensive Care Facility (CCF) and a general acute care hospital. A dollar for dollar match was required for each grantee. The demonstration projects will span a nine month period, with preliminary results expected to be available in fall 2015.
The grantees are:
- Atlantic General Hospital Corporation in partnership with Berlin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
- Dimensions Healthcare System in partnership with Sanctuary of Holy Cross
- University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health in partnership with the Bel Air Facility of Lorien Health
The demonstrations will assess how the use of telehealth impacts care coordination for CCF residents, hospital emergency room visits, admissions, and readmissions. The grantees will use an EHR system and the “Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients” (CRISP) http://crisphealth.org HIE services to assist in coordinating care delivery.
The staff has also been busy collaborating with stakeholders to draft preliminary recommendations for the HIE environmental scan which assesses current and evolving HIE activities in Maryland. The scan was conducted to identify potential changes to current State laws and/or regulations to ensure the privacy and security of electronic health information exchanged by an HIE.
Preliminary findings from the environmental scan indicates that there are some variations in the protection of electronic health information existing among organizations exchanging protected health information. The staff plans to release a report on the findings from the environmental scan in early 2015.
The staff is evaluating options to expand advanced primary care models in the State. There are four key components discussed including a practice transformation program, innovative care delivery monitoring program, single carrier innovative care delivery alignment program, and a data analytics program. Within a few months, the staff will continue to develop the framework for the program in collaboration with stakeholders.
For more information on the Maryland Health Care Commission Update http://mhcc,maryland.gov/mhcc/pages/home/meeting_schedule/documents/updates/MHCC_updt_20141218.pdf.