HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	148
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging a state-led coordinated effort BY the health care and technology communities to ensure that Hawaii is able to rapidly respond to and qualify for grant money offered in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for health care information exchange technology.

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is on its way to becoming a national leader in the field of health care technology as demonstrated by recent innovations in online care and electronic medical records; and

     WHEREAS, the state’s unique geographic location necessitates fostering cutting-edge ideas and technologies to help overcome obstacles to access medical care especially for the disadvantaged and disabled populations and those residing in rural areas; and

     WHEREAS, real-time sharing of comprehensive patient-centered medical information between consumers and providers will decrease medical errors, enhance adherence to best practice guidelines, and advance improvements in quality health care; and

     WHEREAS, establishing and developing health information exchanges within the United States (U.S.) has become increasingly significant, reflecting the changing role that information technology plays in the way government and businesses operate; and

     WHEREAS, critically needed information can be provided immediately and can play a major role in recovery efforts in times of national and local disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, with the establishment and development of health information exchanges within the U.S.; and

     WHEREAS, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) contains funding opportunities for states to improve the infrastructure related to medical technology, specifically for creating a health information exchange and promoting the use of electronic medical records; and

     WHEREAS, funding under ARRA will support the growth, expansion, and use of health information technology, through a public-private partnership among all interested health care stakeholders, to build a statewide health information exchange network for the people of Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, this partnership should include state agencies responsible for designating an entity to be considered a “state designated entity” qualified to receive funding under ARRA; and

     WHEREAS, stakeholders in the community are already mobilizing so that Hawaii can be one of the first states to apply for federal health information technology grant funding; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature urges the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Human Services (DHS), and Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) to work jointly in coordinating stakeholders in the health care community and the technology community to ensure that Hawaii is able to rapidly respond to and qualify for grant money offered in ARRA for health care information exchange technology; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH, DHS, and DBEDT ensure these efforts are in concert with guidance from our congressional delegation to ensure its effectiveness in securing ARRA funding; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH, DHS, and DEBDT are requested to invite organizations they deem necessary to participate in this coordinated effort; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Hawaii’s congressional delegation; the Director of Health; the Director of Human Services; the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; the Dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Medical Service Association; the Chief Executive Officer of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii; the Chair of the Hawaii Broadband Task Force; the Chair of the Hawaii Telehealth Collaborative; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Inc.; the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Primary Care Association; and the President of the Hawaii Medical Association.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Health Information Exchange; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009