NASCIO today announced the release of the compendium, Profiles of Progress: State Health IT Initiatives. A product of the NASCIO Health IT Committee, this compendium provides a state-by-state "snapshot" of progress that each state has made in the health information technology (HIT) implementation process.

"This compendium reflects the growing interest of states in the use of information technology to improve patient care and reduce costs in state budgets," said Wyoming CIO Larry Biggio, co-chair of NASCIO's Health IT Committee. "I'm encouraged to see more states expand the role of information technology to improve healthcare service."

This compendium also examines what role, if any, state CIOs are having in state HIT efforts. Health information technology is a rapidly growing faction of health care reform and this compendium seeks to capture where states, and state CIOs, stand in the midst of the progress.

"State governments play a critical role in managing health IT initiatives on behalf of their citizens," said Doug Robinson, Executive Director of NASCIO. "While the role state CIOs play in health IT varies widely from state to state, it is clear that as states progress further in health IT implementation, state CIO involvement will continue to increase."
KW