Health Information Technology
Effective health information technology (health IT) initiatives can improve patient safety and healthcare quality by ensuring that providers have secure, timely access to essential health data at the point of care. This page provides an overview of current health IT initiatives in Maryland and their advancement statewide.
Core Functions of Health IT
Gathering Information
Health IT can facilitate the collection of information, which can in turn be used to:
- improve disease surveillance
- increase health care knowledge
- shape best practice guidelines
Making Information Accessible
Health IT can help ensure providers have the right information available at the right time and place of care to:
- improve treatment
- prevent errors
- reduce health care costs
Advancing Health Care Delivery
Leading elements of health IT include:
- implementation of a health information exchange (HIE)
- adoption of electronic health records (EHRs)
- expanding telehealth
Advancing Health IT Statewide
The Center for Health Information Technology and Innovative Care Delivery is responsible for advancing health IT statewide. The Center is implementing the following ambitious plan for advancing health IT, which balances the need for information sharing with the need for strong privacy and security policies:
- Promote the statewide HIE, Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP)
- Identify challenges to health IT adoption and use, and formulate solutions and best practices that address these challenges
- Increase the availability and use of standards-based health IT through consultative, educational, and outreach activities
- Promote and facilitate the adoption and optimal use of health IT for the purposes of improving the quality and safety of health care
- Harmonize service area HIE efforts throughout the State
- Certify electronic health networks that accept electronic health care transactions originating in Maryland
- Develop programs to promote electronic data interchange between payors and providers
- Designate management service organizations to promote the adoption and advanced use of EHRs
Health IT Initiatives
Advance directives enable individuals to make provisions for their future medical care. The State has prioritized multiple initiatives that increase access to advance directives and ensure patients receive medical care that is consistent with their values, goals, and preferences.
The health care sector is a common target of cyberattacks due to the value of medical information, and cybercrime can create serious risks to patient health and safety. MHCC collaborates with health care leaders across the State to raise awareness about cybersecurity and share best practices for network security, data privacy, and incident preparedness and response.
Electronic data interchange is the exchange of standardized electronic documents between organizations and their computer applications. The health care industry has employed EDI for more than 20 years to reduce administrative costs, lessen claim errors, eliminate paper waste, and improve productivity.
Electronic health networks operating in the State exchange electronic health care transactions between providers and payors. Their services include verifying the accuracy of claims submitted, reporting on errors identified during the data cleaning process, and formatting transactions to align with national HIPAA standards.
Health information exchange allows authorized users to securely and electronically access and share patient health information, which supports efforts to improve safety and efficiency in health care. HIEs in Maryland are required to register annually with MHCC.
Maryland law requires licensed dispensers to electronically submit certain non-CDS information to the State’s HDU operated by the State-Designated Health Information Exchange (CRISP). The law aims to promote health equity and treatment efficacy by expanding access to comprehensive medication histories.
Additional Resources
For more information about health IT initiatives in Maryland, please see the following resources: