CACoP response to Public Health concerns with the HITECH grant

This is a follow up to the CACoP discussion on the HITECH grant in the January call. 

Infolinks sponsored a presentaion on the HITECH grant on January 14.  The HITECH grant focuses on developing Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and the supporting infrastructure.  One of the key issues that surfaced in the presentation was the lack of a clear role for PHIN and Public Health.  While we do not have a copy of the Webcast, the slides are available at http://www.phii.org/resources/doc_details.asp?id=149. 

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) is asking for feedback.  Rather than having CoP individuals send their comments, we decided to send a single letter from all the CoPs.  John McLamb drafted an outline for a letter and we would appreciate comments on both the letter and the HITECH grant.

Letter Outline to the ONC:

TO: PHIN Community of Practice Council

Subject: Letter to ONC-ARRA HITECT Program Director (Kelly Cronin??)

RE: DRAFT OUTLINE for Letter

I.  Introduction: Who the PHIN CoP Council and the core public health services that the PHIN CoP public health domains and activities represent and/or support.

II. Describe the “what” or the issue: The ARRA HITECT initiatives are at risk of not adequately considering and addressing Public Health PHIN programs at the national, state and local levels in the current processes:

• State HIT strategies
• State Governance Structures
• HITECT Grants and Cooperatives requirements
• HITECT Grants and Cooperatives applicants’ letter of Intent and applications
• Problems-Issues- Inefficiencies:
• • redundant systems, activities
  • duplicate work, data entry, data
  • quality measures & results inefficiencies

III. How: Suggest amending documentation in HITECT documents to include:

• PHIN coordination wording in program description/application processes
• PHIN “sign-off letters of support” requirements in applications to HITECT programs,
• Cross-program coordination of public health programs & supporting federal funds with PHIN supporting requirements and measures etc.

IV. Summary

Thanks and summarize the above