HJAR Mar/Apr 2020

OHIT/SHARE IN 2020 10 MAR / APR 2020 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   PATIENTS seek care in many clinics, hospi- tals, and towns. All too often, health profes- sionals do not have access to the previous notes and tests related to care at facilities not directly affiliated with the treating site. Valuable time is often wasted to search for external information, as sensitive deci- sions cannot be made without the input of past clinical evaluations. This framework can frustrate clinicians, promote duplica- tive testing, and possibly result in less than ideal care for a patient. The Health Information Technology Eco- nomic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), part of the American Recovery and Rein- vestment Act of 2009, established programs and authorized funding to support rapid adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) by doctors, hospitals, and other health providers nationwide. This funding also supported the development of networks to link diverse health care entities to share medical records in a timely manner. InArkansas, the Office of Health Informa- tion Technology (OHIT) operates and main- tains theArkansas State HealthAlliance for Records Exchange (SHARE), which is the statewide Health Information Exchange for the State. OHITwas specifically created as a state agency tomanage and operate SHARE. In 2018, OHITwas given a new administra- tive home, joining theArkansas Department of Health (ADH). This transfer to ADH coincided with the appointment of a new director, Anne San- tifer, who managed several projects for Arkansas Medicaid, including the highly successful Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) initiative. Her leadership recruited new technical staff and new commitments from private payers and hospital systems to contribute data and financial support of this health information infrastructure. OHIT has an operational Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) exchange program that has enrolled over 70 hos- pitals, over 1000 primary care doctors, and has partnered with collaborators to Anne Santifer, Health Information Technology Director State Health Alliance for Records Exchange