Just three short months after the Alabama Health Information Exchange Advisory Commission first met, a comprehensive strategic plan for the state’s health information exchange is almost ready to submit for federal approval, according to Kim Davis-Allen, Director of Transformation Initiatives for the Alabama Medicaid Agency and project director. The final plan will be submitted to the Commission for its approval on May 7.
“This has been a remarkable and exciting process,” Davis-Allen said. “Members of the Commission and the six workgroups have invested hundreds of hours to create a detailed, visionary strategic plan that truly reflects the needs of our state while meeting federal requirements.”
The Commission is specifically tasked with the creation of the plan to outline how the exchange will be constructed, implemented and ultimately utilized. The workgroups – Governance, Legal and Policy, Technical Infrastructure, Finance, Business Strategy and Communications and Marketing – were charged with exploring a specific area of impacting Alabama’s proposed HIE network and reporting their recommendations to the Commission.
Appointed by Gov. Bob Riley, the advisory commission consists of 23 members from leading health care organizations and agencies across the state. In addition to the strategic plan, the Commission is responsible for development of an implementation plan and a State Medicaid HIT plan (SMHP) required to obtain funding to implement a meaningful use incentive payment program for providers.