NASCIO and HIMSS Release Survey on State CIO Views of Health IT Initiatives State CIOs

LEXINGTON, Ky., Tuesday, June 11 — State CIOs continue to serve as a vital link in health IT transformation, according to a new survey, “The Health IT Landscape in the States: Through the Lens of the State CIO,” released today by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The publication is available for download on NASCIO’s website atwww.nascio.org/publications and on the HIMSS website in the HIMSS HIE Toolkit.

It is increasingly imperative that states implement an enterprise-wide architecture for the exchange of health information, especially as state CIOs continue to take on varying roles in areas, such as:

• Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS);
• Medicaid eligibility systems;
• Data governance;
• Identity management (IdM);
• State health insurance marketplaces;
• State Level Health Information Exchange (SLHIE); and
• Shared services and collaboration.

NASCIO and HIMSS have collaborated to provide a snapshot of how states are responding to the challenge. The survey provides a better depiction of what role, if any, the state CIO is playing in these various efforts.

“State CIOs are wearing many hats when it comes to state health IT projects,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director. “The focus remains to find ways to collaborate and coordinate IT initiatives from a global or enterprise view.”

This survey, the first in-depth industry study of this nature, includes the findings, detailed analysis, and call to action for states and state CIOs to successfully navigate IT implementation.

“Improving health and healthcare demands a collaborative effort, including the efforts of CIOs at the state level,” says Carla Smith, MA, CNM, FHIMSS, HIMSS Executive Vice President. “This research introduces valuable findings on the current contributions of, and future opportunities for, these state CIOs who are healthcare leaders in their respective locations.”

Visit www.nascio.org to download this new survey.

Visit the HIMSS website to download the paper and learn more about state health IT initiatives. Contact Pam Matthews, RN, MBA, CPHIMS, LFHIMSS, HIMSS senior director, Informatics, at [email protected] for more information on HIEs; contact Tom Keefe, MA, FHIMSS, HIMSS senior director, State Government Affairs, Technology Solutions, at [email protected] for more information on state government initiatives at HIMSS.

About HIMSS
HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). HIMSS leads global efforts to optimize health engagements and care outcomes using information technology. Visit www.himss.org.

HIMSS is a part of HIMSS WorldWide, a cause-based, global enterprise producing health IT thought leadership, education, events, market research and media services around the world. Founded in 1961, HIMSS WorldWide encompasses more than 52,000 individuals, of which more than two-thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations across the globe, plus over 600 corporations and 250 not-for-profit partner organizations, that share this cause. HIMSS WorldWide, headquartered in Chicago, serves the global health IT community with additional offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia.