"Information Technology is a critical component to improving the quality of health care and controlling costs for patients, physicians, and payers," the governor said. "This initiative will help insure that Virginia is at the forefront of innovation in the deployment of Health IT."
The Council will also continue the work of the 2005 Electronic Health Records Task Force, encouraging the adoption of electronic health records in the commonwealth, establishing an interoperability framework based on national standards, recommending amendments to the budget and strategies to the governor to encourage the long-term adoption of interoperable health records, and identifying areas where health IT can lower costs for the commonwealth as an employer and insurer.
The Health IT Council will be composed of hospital executives; physicians; representatives from the pharmaceutical, insurance, and home-health industries; consumers; members of the General Assembly, and will be co-chaired by the secretary of Health and Human Resources and the secretary of technology.
A Request for Information (RFI) will be issued soon, soliciting proposals for public-private partnerships to encourage the adoption of electronic health records.
