The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) is pleased to announce the release of a new white paper that examines the potential role for accreditation of regional health information organizations (RHIOs [0]) as part of New York’s health information technology (health IT [0]) strategy. The report, Interoperable Health Information Exchange [0] Policy, Governance, and Accountability, was written by researchers from Manatt Health Solutions with assistance from an advisory committee consisting of several national experts in the field. You can view a copy of the report here [1].

This research project, initiated by NYeC with leadership from the New York State Department of Health and funding from the New York State Health Foundation and New York Community Trust, serves as an important contribution to New York State’s health IT strategy. New York State is spending more than $200 million to support the development of an interoperable health information infrastructure that will improve health care quality, affordability and outcomes for all New Yorkers. The center piece of this public investment is the Statewide Health Information Network for New York [1] (SHIN-NY [1]), which is the bedrock component of the State’s technical infrastructure.

RHIOs play a key governance role as part of that strategy, in overseeing and enabling the exchange of health information within designated geographic regions. As the paper states: "Given the central governance role played by RHIOs in New York and their receipt of substantial public funding, it is essential they be held publicly accountable…For RHIOs participating in the SHIN-NY to be successful, all stakeholders – state and local governments, providers, payers, and consumers – must have confidence that RHIOs serve the public interest and perform the duties expected of them in a transparent manner that earns public trust."

This paper evaluates the alternative vehicles for ensuring accountability of RHIOs, assesses the value of accreditation, discusses the key considerations to take into account in designing a RHIO [1] accreditation process, reviews the key policy decisions New York must make and considers its options for moving forward.

RHIO Accreditation White Paper: Interoperable Health Information Exchange Policy, Governance, and Accountability [2]