government
Maryland first to connect its acute care hospitals electronically
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 27, 2012
Every one of Maryland's 46 acute care hospitals now has access to real-time information about patient admissions, transfers and discharges, according to a Feb. 17 announcement by Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown. Maryland is the first state to achieve this level of information sharing.
"Maryland's Health Information Exchange will help ensure that providers have the right information about the right patient at the right time so we can reduce costs and improve care for all Marylanders," Brown said. Many hospitals also are sharing other clinical data, including laboratory, radiology and other reports.
Maryland is "laying the foundation for new payment and delivery models that will improve health and health care, and make the health care system more efficient," said Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, national coordinator for health information technology at the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
The state used $10.9 million in federal funding from the 2009 stimulus package and $10 million in state funding to build the network, run by the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients, an organization led by Maryland health care stakeholders. CRISP is Maryland's coordinating body for implementation of regional health information technology.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/02/27/gvbf0227.htm.
