Government
Pa. governor establishes electronic health information exchange
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 14, 2008
Pennsylvania took the first step toward a statewide health information technology network on March 27 when Gov. Edward G. Rendell signed an executive order creating the Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange. Known as PHIX, the network will be an interoperable electronic medical record and electronic prescribing system, said Phil Magistro, director of information technology for the Governor's Office of Health Care Reform.
The executive order establishes an advisory council to determine PHIX's standards. The state will not require physicians to participate in the exchange but will set broad standards so doctors with different EMRs can use it, Magistro said. The order also creates an executive director's office that will manage the system. Magistro compared the advisory council to a commission setting up the traffic laws for a highway. "We are building the roads -- we don't care what people drive on them," he said. PHIX could be running in 24 to 30 months, he said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/04/14/gvbf0414.htm.
