HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

148

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE GOVERNOR TO DESIGNATE, AND ASSERTING THE LEGISLATURE'S ENDORSEMENT OF, THE HAWAII HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE, INC. TO SERVE AS THE STATE'S QUALIFIED STATE-DESIGNATED ENTITY TO EFFECTIVELY COORDINATE HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES TO ENSURE THAT HAWAII IS ABLE TO RAPIDLY RESPOND TO AND QUALIFY FOR GRANT FUNDING THROUGH THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009 FOR HEALTH CARE INFORMATION EXCHANGE TECHNOLOGY.

 

 


     WHEREAS, Hawaii is on its way to becoming a national leader in the field of health care technology as demonstrated by recent innovations in online care, telehealth services, and electronic medical records; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State's unique geographic location necessitates fostering cutting-edge ideas and technologies to help overcome obstacles to access medical care especially for the disadvantaged and disabled populations and those residing in rural areas; and

 

     WHEREAS, real-time sharing of comprehensive patient-centered medical information between consumers and providers will decrease medical errors, reduce costs, enhance adherence to best practice guidelines, and advance improvements in quality health care; and

 

     WHEREAS, establishing and developing health information exchanges within the United States has become increasingly significant, reflecting the changing role that information technology plays in the way government and businesses operate; and

 

     WHEREAS, critically needed information can be provided immediately and can play a major role in recovery efforts in times of national and local disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, with the establishment and development of health information exchanges within the United States; and

 

     WHEREAS, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 contains funding opportunities for states to improve their medical technology infrastructure related, specifically for creating a health information exchange and promoting the use of electronic medical records; and

 

     WHEREAS, funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will support the growth, expansion, and use of health information technology, through a public-private partnership among all interested health care stakeholders, to build a statewide health information exchange network to decrease medical errors, improve the quality of health care, and reduce costs for the people of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc., is a 501(c) non-profit organization recently formed by key stakeholders in the Hawaii health care community including representatives from various hospitals, health insurers, physician organizations, federal community health centers, and other health care providers; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc. is dedicated to the formation and operation of a health information exchange system in the State of Hawaii, which would allow a secure and rapid exchange of medical information; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc. is dedicated to making any changes necessary to ensure that federal requirements are met to qualify Hawaii for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc. has pledged to raise private funds that will match state funds for health information technology initiatives; and

 

     WHEREAS, the key stakeholders in the community that make up the Hawaii Health Information Exchange are already mobilizing so that Hawaii can be one of the first states to apply for federal health information technology grant funding; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature urges the Governor to designate, and asserts the Legislature's endorsement of, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc. to serve as the State's qualified state-designated entity to effectively coordinate, in cooperation with the Department of Health, health information exchange technology initiatives to ensure that Hawaii is able to rapidly respond to and qualify for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for health care information exchange technology; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature fully supports and endorses the designation of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc. as the qualified state-designated entity to effectively coordinate health information exchange technology initiatives in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health and the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc. are to ensure these efforts are in concert with guidance from our congressional delegation to maximize Hawaii's ability to secure the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health and the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc. are requested to invite organizations they deem necessary to participate in this coordinated effort; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Hawaii's congressional delegation; the Director of Health; the Director of Human Services; the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; the Dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Medical Service Association; the Chief Executive Officer of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii; the Chair of the Hawaii Broadband Task Force; the Chair of the Hawaii Telehealth Collaborative; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc.; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Primary Care Association; the Chief Executive Officer of Hawaii Pacific Health; the Chief Executive Officer of The Queen's Health Services; the Chief Executive Officer of Waianae Coast Comprehensive Family Services; the President of Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii; and the President of the Hawaii Medical Association.

Report Title: 

Health Information Exchange; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009