The Connecticut Health Information Exchange Program

In March 2010, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) was awarded $7.29 million from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) through the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program. Connecticut is one of the fifty-six recipients of this four-year cooperative agreement. The purpose of the State HIE Program is to support states in establishing health information exchanges (HIE) capability across the health care system - among healthcare providers and hospitals- within and across states.

The Connecticut HIE Program is responsible for developing and implementing the Strategic & Operational Plan to ensure measurable progress within the state towards universal adoption of HIE. Additionally, the Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut (HITE-CT), a newly formed quasi-governmental agency, will work with the CT DPH to promote the development of health information technology, increase adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records, assure the privacy and security of electronic health information, and collaborate with the State’s Medicaid agency and Regional Extension Center to enable information exchange and support monitoring of provider participation in the HIE.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is the State Designated Entity (SDE) for the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program through the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). To protect the public health and health care needs of Connecticut residents, the DPH serves as an advocate, regulator, and consumer of the health information exchange.

The 2009 congressional passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical (HITECH) Act, included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, provided a unique opportunity for states to access federal funds to plan, design, and implement a health information exchange that will encourage the adoption and use of electronic health records and allow for the exchange of health information across institutions and providers.

Concurrently in 2009, DPH published the Connecticut State Health Information Technology Plan (2009), which established portions of the framework for the statewide health information exchange and its technology. In June 2009, DPH was designated by legislation to establish the Health Information Technology and Exchange Advisory Committee (HITE-AC) This advisory committee consisted of a broad array of health care stakeholders and provided advice and guidance in the development of the 2010 strategic and operational plan, established goals, and instituted a long-term plan for sustaining a HIE in Connecticut. The Advisory Committee was comprised of health care professionals, policy makers, payers and consumer representatives from around the state.

• Public Act 09-232, “An Act Concerning Revisions to the Department of Public Health Licensing Statutes,” Sec. 74-77 (codified at CGS §19a-25f -§19a-25h)

Then the 2010 Connecticut General Assembly and Governor Rell created the Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut (HITE-CT) as a quasi-public agency managed by an appointed Board of Directors to coordinate and oversee Health Information Exchange (HIE) activities in the state on January 1, 2011. The Board of Directors were appointed and held their first meeting in October 2010.

• Public Act 10-117, "An Act Concerning Revisions to Public Health Related Statutes and the Establishment of the Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut," Sec. 82-90,96 (codified at CGS §19a-750(c)(1))