Local Health Department
Health Information Technology Resources
Background
The Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) conducted an environmental scan (scan) in the fall of 2014 to assess the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) among all 24 local health departments (LHDs) in the State. The scan revealed that in 2014, 63 percent of LHDs in Maryland had adopted an EHR. Additional findings indicated that LHDs wanted an avenue to facilitated peer-to-peer learning and enhance communication on health information technology (health IT) across all LHDs. Adoption of health IT, which includes EHRs, health information exchange, and telehealth, helps to assure that provides have access to the right information at the right time. The MHCC has created this website as a way to provide information on innovative uses of health IT to LHDs. The MHCC hosts lunch and learn webinars to facilitate per-to-peer learning among LHDs. Slides and recordings of those webinars are available on the Lunch and Learn Webinar.
Electronic Health Records Resource Guide
EHRs are transformational in changing the way care is delivered by moving away from paper-based processes to one that utilizes electronic information to assist providers in delivering high quality care. The EHR Resource Guide serves as a centralized source of information related to LHDs use of EHRs to support specific programs, such as behavioral health or dental, as well as other administrative functions including scheduling and billing.
Lunch and Learn Webinars
The MHCC convenes health IT lunch and learn webinars as a way to provide additional peer-to-peer learning opportunities to LHDs. During the webinars, LHDs and other guest speakers share their experiences and expertise related to the topics presented.
Additional Resources
Health IT is generally considered essential to achieving the triple aim: increased quality of care, improved the health of populations, and reduced health care costs. This section provides additional resources to LHDs on topics that can assist LHDs in optimizing their use of health IT.
Sustainable Rural Telehealth Innovation: A Public Health Case Study (Singh, R., Mathiassen, L., Stachura, M.E., and Astapova, E.V.)
This article examines how rural public health departments can adopt and sustain telehealth innovations, including the benefits of having a telehealth champion to increase participation; as well as discusses the importance of collaboration among internal and external stakeholders to achieve sustainable rural telehealth.
Georgia Case Study: Enhancing healthcare access through a state-wide telehealth network (The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.)
This case study highlights Georgia’s efforts to transform its health system. A learning collaborative between the Georgia Department of Public Health and Georgia LHDs formed to increase access to care via telehealth in rural communities.
Telehealth Start-up and Resource Guide (Telligen Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center and Great Plains Telehealth Resource & Assistance Center - gpTRAC)
Telehealth resource guide created by Telligen and gpTRAC to provide an overview and framework for implementing telehealth in rural areas. Topics include: telehealth services, toolkits and information for initiating a telehealth program, and telehealth billing and reimbursement, among other things.
Telehealth Adoption in Maryland
This webpage highlights efforts underway in Maryland to increase the diffusion and address the challenges of telehealth adoption. Information includes an overview of current and former grant projects, the annual telehealth symposium, and reference documents created by MHCC.
Health IT for Public Health Reporting and Information Systems (The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology)
As the health care industry shifts toward value-based care, public health efforts will be key in transforming the health care system. This issue brief describes opportunities for electronic public health reporting, such as collaboration between public health and health information exchanges, to further improve public health reporting and information systems.
Getting it Right(er): Tactics for Success in the EHR Optimization Era (Ancile Solutions, Inc.)
A white paper discussing strategies to help achieve EHR optimization including how to assess a current EHR vendor to identify areas for improvement, engage staff in using an EHR, and review and rework an EHR workflows.