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Health Information Technology in Ohio
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has been heavily involved in Health Information Technology (HIT) efforts
in the state. HIT is a nation-wide effort to promote the use of
technology to improve medical care, reduce costs and provide a more
patient-centric focus to better health for all Americans. Its goal is
to unite health providers, payers, and patients in a common way to
ensure that everyone gets the right care at the right time. As part of
HPIO’s HIT work, the Institute released Assessing Health Information
Technology in Ohio in late 2005, and followed this up with A Strategic
Roadmap and Policy Options for the Effective Adoption of Health
Information Technology and Exchange in Ohio in 2006. That same year,
the Institute was awarded a contract from the Federal government to
study how Ohio’s privacy and security laws and business practices would
affect this exchange of electronic health information. HPIO has also
worked closely with the Governor’s office and the Ohio General Assembly
to bring attention to this issue.
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About the Health Policy Institute of Ohio
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio is an independent, nonpartisan,
statewide center that informs Ohio health policy by forecasting health
trends, analyzing key health issues, and communicating current research
to policymakers, state agencies and other decision-makers.
Why Does Ohio Need an Independent Health Policy Institute?
States
are facing difficult financial situations, both now and in the future
as the overall population ages. To deal with this challenge, Ohio needs
to reform health policy while also providing good care and keeping
health care affordable. In the past, though, Ohio decision makers had
no unbiased and nonpartisan statewide resource for advice about health
issues. As a result, they have often had to rely on data and analysis
provided by interest groups with particular perspectives and agendas.
This resulted in a need for reliable, impartial information on which to
base decisions.
To address these issues,
the Institute works through six avenues to serve as a premiere health
policy resource and to provide cutting edge information:
- Research
The Institute promotes and facilitates health policy research among
existing research centers, universities, and other organizations. It
identifies gaps in health policy research and data, designs studies,
leads the development of a statewide health policy research agenda,
promotes collaboration among researchers, commissions research projects
to fill gaps, and, as necessary, undertakes some research directly. In
addition, the Institute assists researchers in presenting important
findings and in connecting with other researchers and resources.
- Analysis
The Institute identifies, investigates and provides relevant, timely,
and impartial analysis of current and emerging health trends, issues,
and policy outcomes, and synthesizes national and state research for
use in Ohio.
- Communication
The Institute communicates important and topical health-related
information in a timely fashion through policy briefings, forums, white
papers, media outreach, and other informational means.
- Convening
The Institute convenes health care leaders and representatives from
various sectors to identify common goals, share information and
resources, analyze multi-faceted and intricate issues, and explore
options on how to best move Ohio’s health system forward.
- Dialogue
The Institute fosters informed, candid, and contemplative dialogue on
important health issues using a format that reflects the Institute’s
core principles of neutrality, balance, collaboration, and diversity.
- Education
Primary among the Institute’s roles is educating and building the
capacity of decision makers with regards health policy issues in the
government, public, business, private, nonprofit, civic, academic, and
philanthropic sectors.
The Time Is Right
A number of factors make now an important time for providing policymakers with reliable information:
- Ohio
faces significant health-care challenges, forcing individuals,
businesses, physicians, hospitals, other providers, health plans, and
state and local governments to make difficult decisions on how to
provide and receive access to health care. As a result, policymakers
are facing ongoing demands from groups wanting to change individual
aspects of the health-care system. There is value in bringing these
various groups together in a neutral setting for the purpose of looking
at systemic change that addresses multiple health-care challenges.
- Ohio
is facing a critical budget shortfall. Medicaid alone accounts for
almost a quarter of the state budget and it is critical that decisions
aimed at fixing the budget be based on timely, accurate information.
- The rise in health-care costs places an increasing economic challenge on Ohio businesses and their workers.
- The
current trend toward devolution of regulatory responsibility to the
states necessitates more thoughtful analysis at the local level.
- Term
limits in the Ohio legislature have had the unintended effect of
decreasing institutional knowledge about key health issues and
programs. In addition, each general election brings in a large number
of new state legislators, who immediately have to deal with biennium
budgets that look to be in poor fiscal shape for the foreseeable future.
- The number of uninsured Ohioans is increasing.
- There is increasing concern in Ohio about health disparities that cut across racial, ethnic, and socio-economic lines.
Examples of the Institute's Work
Every
two years the Health Policy Institute of Ohio hosts an orientation
session on health policy issues for state lawmakers. This half day
session focuses on the different health issues, such as Medicaid, that
legislators will encounter in the coming year. The first session was
held in January 2005, with a number of legislators and aides attending.
The next session is scheduled for January 2007. In addition, HPIO
responds to a large number of data and information requests each year
from state legislators, the Governor’s office, the Legislative Services
Commission, and other state and local agencies.
The
Institute also hosts a number of policy forums each year on different
health policy issues. For example, in early 2005 the Institute held a series of forums around the state on Ohio’s Medicaid program
and the different reform proposals then under consideration by the
state and federal governments. Forums were held in Dayton, Cleveland,
Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus, Canton, and Athens, with nearly 400
people attending. Other forum topics from recent years include employer workforce health management strategies (such as requiring employees to not smoke either on or off the job), examining health care reforms and strategies being implemented by other states, examining Ohio’s small-group health insurance market, and more.
For the last three summers, the Institute has sponsored the Summer Program in Applied Statistical Methods
in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio State
University School of Public Health, the Center for Biostatistics at the
Ohio State University, and the Franklin County Board of Health. This
practitioner-based epidemiology course has been attended by hundreds of
state and local health department workers and covers advanced
epidemiological concepts, investigative practices, and public health
research.
Other recent work of the Institute includes promoting and facilitating Health Information Technology initiatives in Ohio
(see box above for more information) and facilitating analysis of data
from the Ohio Family Health Survey—the results of are being released by
the Institute as a series of data briefs
and as an upcoming chart book. The Institute has also provided research
assistance to the Ohio Commission to Reform Medicaid (One of the
Institute’s publications, Ohio Medicaid Reform: Key Issues to Consider,
was originally produced to educate the Commission on the various
challenges in reforming Ohio’s Medicaid program). Finally, the
Institute has served as a neutral convener of interested stakeholders
around different health policy issues, such as with the Ohio Dental Workforce Roundtable.
This Institute-lead state-wide collaboration explored dental workforce
issues and developed recommendations on how to increase access to
dental care for vulnerable Ohioans.
A Sample of Publications
Ohio's Small Group Health Insurance Market (July
2006). An issue report examining the underlying challenges of the small
group health insurance market, with a focus on Ohio, and potential
policy options.
Obesity: The Health Debate and Policy Challenges (October 2005). This issue report provides an overview of on the issue of obesity, with a special focus on Ohio.
Assessing Health Information Technology in Ohio
(October 2005). This briefing paper reports on the status of health
information technology and health information exchange in Ohio.
Does Oral Health Matter?
(May, 2005). Provides a brief overview of oral health issues, including
the status of oral health at the state and national levels.
Ohio Medicaid Reform: Key Issues to Consider (April, 2005). Provides a brief overview of the different issues that arise in attempting to reform Ohio’s Medicaid program.
Ohio Medicaid Basics
(February, 2005). Provides an overview of Ohio Medicaid, including
eligibility, key programs, financing, and expenditures. Originally
published in 2003, this new edition is completely updated with the most
recent data, statistics, and information about the state’s Medicaid
program.
Understanding Health Disparities (November, 2004). Examines all aspects of racial and ethnic health discrepancies, with a special focus on Ohio.
Our Funders
The following foundations have provided up to five years of core funding to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio:
- The HealthPath Foundation of Ohio (based in Cincinnati)
- The Cleveland Foundation
- The George Gund Foundation (based in Cleveland)
- The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati
- The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation (based in Cleveland)
- Saint Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland
- Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton with the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
- The United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the United Way of Central Ohio, and the United Way of Greater Cleveland
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The Health Policy Institute of Ohio, 37 West Broad Street, Suite 350, Columbus, OH 43215-4198
Phone: 614-224-4950 Fax: 614-224-2205
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