States and Cities to Launch Gateway Health IT Contracts in 2008
RESTON, Va., Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ — The Oregon Health Record Bank (HRB) project leads a varied list of “gateway” health IT contracts planned by the states in 2008, according to a newly released report by INPUT, the authority on government business. The ten opportunities examined in the report represent $35 million in total spending, are dedicated to designing and developing innovative health IT system infrastructure, and will enable vendors new to healthcare and health IT to break into this emerging market.
“States and cities have decided not to wait around for a federal ‘green light’ or for Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO) to obtain financial sustainability,” said Kristina Mulholland, analyst, healthcare and social services for INPUT. “They are passing legislation, enacting public- private study groups and seeking funding, either through federal grants or state funds. We expect this to be the case until around 2009 when the next Congress and the new President begin to pick up where the Bush administration leaves off.”
For example, the $5.5 million HRB project out of Oregon is funded through a Medicaid Transformation Grant via the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The project serves as a prime example of states engaging in pilot testing and assessment prior to statewide expansion. Once these basic infrastructures are in place, INPUT projects intensified integration efforts across the country around the 2009-11 timeframe.
“The good thing about health IT is that there’s still time for smaller vendors and vendors who are newer to the health care vertical to build their reputations among the states and localities, said Mulholland. “Vendors who win projects like these will be well positioned for major, transformative integration efforts down the road. This includes billions of dollars in Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) enhancements and overhauls.”
The projects examined in the report provide a variety of opportunities in terms of impact and contract value, ranging from web-portals, electronic health records systems and health record banks. Vermont (electronic health records) and Washington (health information exchange) demonstrate the trends among states to engage public-private collaborations and allow a variety of stakeholders to participate. State projects funded via Medicaid Transformation Grants are platform health IT initiatives that will provide momentum for future projects. Ten different states are represented among the top ten opportunities.
INPUT’s The Top 10 State & Local Health Information Technology Gateway Opportunities for 2008 INPUT/Output(R) is available on INPUT’s website at http://gateway.input.com/.
About INPUT
INPUT is the authority on government business. Established in 1974, INPUT helps companies develop federal, state, and local government business and helps public sector organizations achieve their objectives. Over 1,200 members, including small specialized companies, new entrants to the public sector, and the largest government contractors and agencies, rely on INPUT for the latest and most comprehensive procurement and market information, consulting, powerful sales management tools, and educational & networking events. For more information about INPUT, visit http://www.input.com/ or call 703-707-3500.
Proper use of name is INPUT Media Contact: Meredith Lawrence mlawrence@input.com 703-707-3687
INPUT
CONTACT: Meredith Lawrence of INPUT, +1-703-707-3687,mlawrence@input.com
Web site: http://www.input.com/