SAMHSA and ONC Announce $20M Behavioral Health IT Initiative

Recognizing the gap in health information technology (IT) adoption among behavioral health providers, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) are investing over $20 million over the next 3 years to launch the Behavioral Health Information Technology (BHIT) Initiative. (ONC, 2/5)

Advancing Primary Care Through Data Measurement and Exchange

To identify where high-quality primary care is exists in California, the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative developed a pilot leveraging a defined measure set to examine health outcomes at a granular level. The pilot findings recognize that robust data collection is critical to understanding practice performance, and the expansion of clinical data exchange is essential to enhance reporting capabilities. (Purchaser Business Group on Health’s California Quality Collaborative, 1/11)

CA Legislation Introduced To Require SOGI Data Collection

On January 22, California State Senator Scott Wiener (D- San Francisco) introduced Senate Bill 957 to require the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Public Health, and other state health agencies to collect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data to monitor and address health disparities. This legislation is intended to carry out recommendations from last year’s state audit report. (Los Angeles Blade, 1/24)

Health Data Exchange Associated with Lower Risk of Code Blue Events

According to an Epic Research study, the presence of outside health data in a patient’s chart is associated with lower risk of emergency resuscitations in the Emergency Department, referred to as a code blue event. For patients with higher levels of acuity, health data exchange is correlated with a 34-63% code blue risk reduction dependent on age. (EHR Intelligence, 1/31)