In June, Quality Quest submitted a final plan to the State of Illinois reflecting the region's direction with respect to establishing a Health Information Exchange (HIE) system for central Illinois. Those recommendations were integrated into the State's plan, which was submitted to the Office of the National Coordinator in July.

Specifically, the central Illinois plan outlined the region's preferences for:

• The type of information to be exchanged – including such important data elements as medication history, diagnoses, allergies, test results, etc. across traditional organizational boundaries;
• The type of technology that would be utilized – creating a system which would allow for secure, real-time viewing of healthcare information by authorized healthcare providers;
• How the exchange would be governed – utilizing a not-for-profit structure, established under the auspices of Quality Quest for Health of Illinois, and providing Board opportunities for diverse stakeholders;
• How the exchange would be funded – focusing on subscription services that are affordable and offer significant value.

After submitting the plan to the State, the Central Illinois HIE Executive Advisory Council continued to meet monthly in order to fine-tune recommendations and work through next steps for establishment of the exchange. Discussions focused on how our regional work integrates with the State level planning and how to maximize our regional investment to achieve a high-quality result for patients.  Early 2011 will be critical for HIE planning. Our region must move forward toward selection of a vendor for the exchange and there are a plethora of specific policies and procedures which must be formalized.

Organizations that wish to be involved in this advanced stage of planning are being offered Charter Member positions.  Charter Members are contributing financially toward the start-up costs of the HIE, will be prioritized in the roll-out of the exchange, and will have the opportunity to guide the initial policies and procedures.

To learn more about the Charter Member opportunity, contact David Miller, HIE Project Lead, at 309-251-6491.