"By using information technology, Arizona's health care industry can improve the quality of care, while realizing increased efficiency and cost savings," said Napolitano. "The Arizona Health-e Connection is one of the best examples in the nation of the health care industry coming together to drive innovation in health care services."
Governor Napolitano's Executive Order 2005-25 created the Arizona Health-e Connection, and in April 2006, the Steering Committee delivered the Health-e Connection Roadmap to Governor Napolitano. The Roadmap involves a strong partnership between the state, health care providers and major employers, providing for a swift, electronic exchange of health care information in a way that preserves privacy, but at the same time, promotes the welfare of patients. For example, one goal of Health-e Connection is to ensure that an emergency room doctor has immediate access to a patient's medical history. With current paper-records systems, that kind of information is often difficult to get and takes too much time; as a result, patient care can suffer.
Arizona Health-e Connection has generated significant national attention around health care innovation in Arizona. In June 2006, the state received a grant from the National Governors Association to fund the Arizona Health Privacy Project. In January 2007, Arizona received a federal grant of $12 million to develop and implement electronic records to foster the exchange of health records among health care providers.
"The Arizona Health-e Connection will continue to provide strategic leadership to Arizona's health care sector," said David Landrith of the Arizona Medical Association and chair of the Health-e Connection. "I look forward to continued partnership between public and private health care stakeholders."
