WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) Health Division hosted an event at the National Press Club to discuss its new tool, Getting the Right Information to the Right Health Care Providers at the Right Time: A Road Map for States to Improve Health Information Flow Between Providers.
NGA gathered health policy experts to discuss the road map, which was developed to help governors and their senior state leaders drive forward policies that support the seamless flow of clinical patient health care information between providers while protecting patient privacy. The goal is to help facilitate nationwide interoperability.
The panel included NGA Center Health Division Director Frederick Isasi and Program Director Lauren Block, as well as Meghan Vanderstelt, policy director for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Lucia Savage, chief privacy officer at the Office of the National Coordinator, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“It’s difficult to treat the whole person with half the data,” said Vanderstelt, alluding to the value of the tool to increase the flow of data among providers. That exchange of clinical health information is critical to ensuring providers have the best information possible when making decisions about patient care, minimizing repetition and errors, ensuring high-quality transitions of care and lowering costs. The panel focused on how states are addressing legal and market-based barriers to improve information exchange between health care providers.
To watch the full event, please visit NGA’s Facebook page.