The 4th annual Minnesota e-Health Summit 2008 commences June 26th in Brooklyn Park with a theme aptly titled “From Vision to Action.”


While the first three summits focused on getting e-health and the value of interoperable health records on everybody’s radar, this year’s summit – and future summits – will focus on statewide plans to achieve the legislative mandate of all healthcare providers in Minnesota having interoperable electronic health record (EHR) systems by 2015.


“We’re laying out a more concrete pathway to reach the mandate,” said Bill Brand, deputy director of the Center for Health Informatics for the Minnesota Dept. of Health, which is co-sponsoring the summit along with the Minnesota e-Health Initiative.


Now that e-health awareness and the compelling case for e-health have been built, the e-Health Initiative is providing resources and tools to facilitate the successful deployment of EHRs, especially to organizations such as specialty care and home healthcare, said Jennifer Lundblad, co-chair of the e-Health Advisory Committee.


Minnesota is a state to watch, as its governor, Tim Pawlenty, and legislators have worked with stakeholders in the healthcare industry on several pieces of legislation, including the Minnesota e-Health Initiative, which was created to accelerate the use of health IT healthcare quality and patient safety and reduce healthcare costs.


In 2004, the Minnesota legislature created the Minnesota Health Information Exchange to enable the sharing of medical information among healthcare providers. In 2007, Minnesota’s Commissioner of Health was mandated to deliver in January 2009 a set of standards for interoperability, which are to be consistent with federal efforts on interoperability standards.


In 2008, legislators approved two more pieces of e-health legislation. One requires EHR purchases to be certified by CCHIT (Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology) and the other requires all providers to adopt e-prescribing by 2011, which was recently signed into law by Pawlenty.


“We’re looking at how quickly we can put tools in place to control cost and improve the quality of healthcare,” said Brand. “We’re trying to set a balance between the two.”


According to a 2007 statewide EHR survey by Stratis Health, Minnesota’s Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, 64 percent of adult primary care practices have either fully implemented or are in the process of implementing EHRs, up from 46 percent in 2005, said Lundblad, who is also president and CEO of Stratis Health.


Most of the hospitals in Minnesota have EHR systems, according to Brand. He attributes the high adoption rate to the fact that many clinics and long-term care facilities are under the umbrella of integrated delivery systems. This type of system allows hospitals to play a leading role in EHR adoption. “The financial and clinical advantages become more apparent and the value proposition much stronger in integrated care systems,” he said.


In addition, primary care practices in the rural and smaller communities in the state have been leaders in e-health adoption, said Lundblad.


For the second year in a row, Minnesota legislators have awarded grants and no-interest revolving loans for physician groups in rural and underserved areas. “There is substantial money available for planning and implementation,” she said.


Lastly, with its successful implementation of the DOQ-IT initiative (Doctor’s Office Quality Information Technology) for Minnesota’s clinics under Medicare, Stratis Health has been able to broaden its technical assistance for EHR implementation beyond the Medicare arena, said Lundblad.


The Minnesota legislature has been bold and more comfortable setting mandates, Brand said, because there is broad support and representation throughout the state. The Minnesota e-Health Initiative has a 26-member advisory committee of multi-stakeholders. With behavioral health, corrections and hospices recently joining the table, Brand said the Initiative is broadening its representation even more because all of the newcomers are a part of the continuum of care.


It also helps that the health plans operating in Minnesota are required to be nonprofit. “The environment to move forward more rapidly is a result of the public/private collaboration here,” said Brand. “Whatever we do collaboratively to ensure the well-being of Minnesotans will serve each of our needs in the long run.”


Lundblad agreed. “Commitment and collaboration on quality and safety is part of a long-standing tradition in Minnesota,” she said.


While Minnesota has made significant advances in e-health adoption – far greater than many states, Lundblad said Minnesota’s challenge is striking a balance between being e-health leaders and aligning its achievements with national bodies. Still, she said, “It’s a great place to be.”