A statewide health information network is in the works for Mississippi, an effort prompted in part by the state's devastating experience with Hurricane Katrina. Last week, Gov. Haley Barbour (R) issued an executive order creating the Mississippi Health Information Task Force, a group whose goals are to develop an HIT infrastructure for the state and to improve care efficiency and quality. Among other objectives, the HIN would make sure "timely, secure and accessible health information" was available even if disaster struck, Barbour said in his order.
Specifics of the group's purpose include making health information available at the point of care, improving care coordination between providers, giving consumers access to health information and improving public health disease tracking within the state. The group is also charged with identifying barriers to the adoption of interoperable health information exchanges. The 20-member task force, which meets for the first time this week, will develop a plan for the next two years.
To learn more about the state's plans:
- read this piece from The Sun Herald
- see Gov. Barbour's press release
- read Gov. Barbour's executive order