As the Badger State prepares to launch its health information exchange in 2011, Wisconsin officials have designated the Wisconsin State Health Information Network (WISHIN) as the exchange’s governing organization.
Following a competitive application process, the group was recommended by the Wisconsin Relay of Electronic Data (WIRED) for Health Board, the state’s planning board appointed by Gov. Jim Doyle.
The new organization will establish the first features of a statewide health information exchange in 2011. As part of its initial work, the exchange will allow more providers to receive summaries of recent patient visits electronically from other healthcare providers who are not associated with the same clinic or health system, as well as results of lab tests. Research has shown that these steps reduce medical errors and save time for clinicians and patients.
WISHIN is a nonprofit organization formed by the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Health Information Organization, the Wisconsin Collaborative for Health Care Quality and the Wisconsin Medical Society. The WIRED for Health Act, 2009 Wisconsin Act 274, requires the governing organization to be a non-profit, private-public partnership.
“With this important milestone, we will improve Wisconsin healthcare providers’ access to the right information at the right time to provide the very best care for their patients,” said the state's Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake. “This is a significant step forward and builds on a strong tradition of Wisconsin’s leadership on healthcare quality.”
Wisconsin is receiving a total of $9.4 million for the development and implementation of the exchange plan as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). With the establishment of a statewide health information network, Wisconsin providers are poised to receive federal incentive payments, estimated to be between $500 million and $800 million, to help healthcare providers with the cost of implementing or upgrading electronic health records systems.
“The four organizations that have collaborated to form WISHIN are extremely pleased by this announcement,” said Wisconsin Medical Society CEO Susan L. Turney, MD. “ Wisconsin consistently is recognized as a national leader in healthcare quality, and we believe developing a statewide exchange of electronic health information has the potential to further improve the quality of care we are able to provide. We look forward to working together for the benefit of patients throughout the state.”
The WIRED for Health Board estimates that eliminating just 1 percent of inefficiency and waste in healthcare spending could generate $69 million in savings for Wisconsin.
