The State Alliance for e-Health (State Alliance) was created by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices in January 2007 as an initiative designed to improve the nation's health care system through the formation of a collaborative body that enables states to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the health information technology (HIT) initiatives they develop. The NGA Center for Best Practices was awarded a contract from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to establish and manage the State Alliance for e-Health.

The State Alliance provides a nationwide forum through which stakeholders can work together to identify inter- and intrastate-based health information technology policies and best practices and explore solutions to programmatic and legal issues related to the exchange of health information.

The State Alliance is co-chaired by NGA Chair Governor Jim Douglas of Vermont and Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, who guide the efforts of governors, state legislators, attorneys general, insurance commissioners, and others with expert guidance to help them develop real-world solutions and model practices for improving the quality and efficiency of health care.

Recent News and Reports:

• Public Governance of Health Information Exchange Report | Appendices
  With e-health initiatives across the country in various stages of development, state governments now have an opportunity to determine the best regulatory and governance framework to support and advance health information technology (HIT)and health information exchange (HIE), according to a new report prepared for the State Alliance for e-Health by the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The report details three conceptual models of public governance that could lead to the practice of sustainable HIE and delves into specific rationale and description, legal structure and financing and accountability considerations for each model.

• Accelerating Progress: Using Health Information Technology and Electronic Health Information Exchange to Improve Care
  In this inaugural report, the State Alliance examines the challenges states face in implementing HIT and HIE, including provider concerns about implementation costs, variations in technical standards for interoperability and consumer concerns about data privacy and security.

• Report from the Public Programs Implementation Taskforce to the State Alliance for E-Health
  This final report presents the recommendations made by the Taskforce during 2008 and adopted by the State Alliance for e-Health. The recommendations are focused on two themes: Promoting standards-based health information technology (HIT) adoption and use, and enabling bi-directional electronic data exchange that supports improved quality outcomes for clinical care and public health within and across states. These recommendations are meant to stimulate state HIT and HIE policy development and to assist the State Alliance for e-Health in its technical assistance efforts in 2009.

• e-Prescribing Issue Brief
  (coming soon)