New York State Funds Digital Health Care Resources

Annemarie Franczyk who writes for Business First of Buffalo brings us tidings from New York about new funding for HealthLink:

New York state is putting $5.3 million behind a local effort to create better electronic links among doctors and health-care organizations.

The Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, or WNYCIE, received the two-year round of funding from Albany to support expansion of HealtheLink, the computer-based information system that is connecting health-care providers.

Daniel Porreca, WNYCIE executive director, said the organization will use the grant in several areas: linking doctors and others with Medicaid patient records, creating public health surveillance and reporting mechanisms, and reporting outcomes data. WNYCIE applied for, but did not receive, funding for the purchase of electronic health records, but grants for such programs might be available in the future, Porreca said.

While this does not yet include electronic medical records, it is still a large step forward in the embrace of digital resources. This is the fifth round of funding for interoperable electronic systems geared towards streamlining care delivery.

As with EMRs, it should do quite a bit to weed out duplicate testing while improving coordination amongst care providers.

SOURCE: State funding improved health-care links" 04/01/08
photo courtesy of paraflyer, used under this Creative Commons license