Media Release

For Immediate Release
Date: December 28, 2005
Contact: Amy Zimmerman (401) 222-5942

Rhode Island Receives Health Information Technology Grant

Governor Donald L. Carcieri and the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) are pleased to report receiving a $96,317 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to support health information technology efforts. Governor Carcieri’s Health and Wellness agenda includes a strong commitment to bring technology to patient health information and assure that clinicians have access to electronic patient information when they need it. This grant will support HEALTH in moving closer to electronically transmitting immunization records and some laboratory test results to a statewide health information exchange.

“I’m delighted that this grant will facilitate our efforts to provide Rhode Island residents with timely access to health records while reducing the inconvenience and expense of duplicate testing,” Governor Carcieri said. “This use of technology provides practical steps to improve health care for our residents.”

HEALTH, in collaboration with the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) and other critical public and private partners, will focus on short-term strategies to make this information available. One of the strategies is to increase the number of health care professionals who adopt of a common set of standards for exchanging laboratory data. Achieving these steps advances the Rhode Island health care system toward the goal of ‘anytime, anywhere, health information.’ HEALTH will continue its work with the RIQI to address critical issues related to fully implementing a health information exchange, including confidentiality, patient consent, and security.

“As Rhode Island’s health information exchange implementation moves forward, patients and health care providers will experience a more rapid transfer and exchange of health information necessary to provide quality care, lower costs due to reduced duplication of tests and services, and administrative efficiencies,” said David R. Gifford, MD, MPH, Director of Health.

HEALTH is one of twenty-one projects selected from across the country funded through RWJF’s InformationLinks initiative. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is committed to supporting the participation of state and local public health agencies in the development of health information exchanges.

For more information about the RI InformationLinks project, contact Amy Zimmerman at 401-222-5942.