NYeC News

NYeC is pleased to announce the release of the initial set of draft requirements (sometimes referred to as Version 1.0) for the RHIOs and CHITAs participating in the HEAL NY Phase 5 Health IT grants program. These documents are the work products emerging from the Statewide Collaboration Process, facilitated by NYeC, through which all the HEAL 5 awardees, together with many other stakeholders have been collaborating in work groups to set common policies and standards.

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) as part of New York’s health information technology (health IT) strategy. The report, Interoperable Health Information Exchange 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.

~ New York eHealth Collaborative Plays Key Role in Setting Standards for Interoperable Health Information Exchange ~

On May 12, 2008, the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) and the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) hosted a kickoff meeting for the HEAL 5 health IT grant awards project. At the meeting NYS DOH and NYeC presented details of the "Statewide Collaboration Process" (SCP), which will be a multi-stakeholder effort to develop policies, technical standards, and operational guidance for health IT and HIE projects. During breakout sessions the missions and activities for each of the SCP workgroups were reviewed.

On April 2, 2008, the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) convened a meeting of its Policy and Operations Council. At the meeting NYeC presented details on the draft structure, workflow, and agenda of the “Statewide Collaboration Process” which the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) has engaged NYeC to oversee. This collaboration process will be a multi-stakeholder effort to develop policies, technical standards, and operational guidance for the “Statewide Health Information Network for New York” (SHIN-NY).

NEW YORK, NY, February 14, 2008 — The board of the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) has selected Rachel Block to be its executive director. Ms. Block has served as NYeC’s interim executive director since helping create the organization in 2007. She will assume her new full-time role on March 1.

On October 29, 2007, NYeC convened a joint meeting of its RHIO Committee and HSP Consortium. This was an important opportunity for these committees to discuss NYeC's priority areas for statewide collaboration on its interoperable health information and quality improvement strategy.

The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) has been awarded a one-year $2.8 million contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to participate in the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) Trial Implementation project.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is conducting the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) to promote the adoption and use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) among primary care providers in NYC's underserved communities. It has set the ambitious goal of providing EHR software to 1,500 medical practices over the next two years. It recently released a City Health Information bulletin with advice and information for providers on EHR tools and selection.

On March 16, 2007, NYeC convened a summit meeting with leaders of health information technology and health information exchange initiatives across the state, as well as key staff from the NYS Department of Health. The summit focused on policy issues relating to privacy and security in health information exchange, and featured presentations from local, statewide, and national perspectives.