The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is providing technical assistance to Medicaid and CHIP agencies to help them develop, implement, and participate in health information technology (health IT) and health information exchange (HIE). Through a contract with RTI International, AHRQ's technical assistance program will develop and provide a wide range of resources and tools to assist Medicaid and CHIP agencies in improving the delivery and coordination of care. In addition, these resources will improve the proactive management of health of Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries through the use of health IT. Finally, the program will be a resource for agencies needing assistance with plans for using or implementing HIEs to support internal and external business and operating needs and the efficient delivery of quality services.
The program includes several components:
- A repository of information to support the technical assistance and disseminate best practices.
- Webinars and Web-based and in-person workshops.
- An ongoing learning community.
For additional information regarding the needs assessment, technical assistance, other tools to be provided, and participation, please read our Technical Assistance for Medicaid and CHIP Fast Facts. This document includes instructions on how to join our listserv and receive current updates on project news and offerings.
Communities of Practice
There are currently two active Communities of Practice (CoPs). The topic areas, domains, community (members), and practice (issues discussed) are listed below. If you would like to participate in either of these CoPs or suggest new CoPs, please email Stephanie Kissam at skissam@rti.org.
Medicaid Involvement in State Health Information Exchange CoP
Domain: Privacy and security issues and concerns related to Medicaid and CHIP adoption of health IT and participation in HIEs, for both agencies and Medicaid providers.
Community: The primary participants in this CoP are Mediaid HIT Coordinators, State HIT Coordinators, and any other Medicaid-CHIP agency staff who are collaborating on HIE efforts in their State.
Practice: CoP participants will share information and experiences with each other on models of HIE, types of data included in HIE, best practices in collaboration between Medicaid-CHIP and other State HIE efforts, and examples of functions or services that an HIE could provide to Medicaid-CHIP (and vice versa).
Health IT for Child Health CoP
Domain: Health IT that can be applied for the improvement of child health among the Medicaid-CHIP population.
Community: Leaders in quality improvement and health IT and HIE projects in Medicaid-CHIP.
Practice: CoP participants will share information and experiences with each other on health IT and HIE developed under Medicaid-CHIP agencies that can be applied to children's health improvement and care coordination.
To find out more information about the Communities of Practice or to inquire about joining a Community of Practice, email Stephanie Kissam at skissam@rti.org.
Medicaid and CHIP Repository
The Medicaid and CHIP Repository allows users to search for content on Health IT and HIE issues directly related to Medicaid and CHIP agencies. General overview materials provide basic information about the emerging relationship between Health IT/HIE and Medicaid and CHIP agencies.
Case studies highlighting Medicaid-CHIP agencies are also available in the repository. These case studies highlight innovative practices in health IT or health information exchange, offering lessons learned and success factors for agencies that are planning similar initiatives.
The remaining content is organized into areas of Health IT and HIE and further categorized as one of three main subtopics within those areas: Policy, Technology, or Evaluation. The entire collection of documents may be searched, or any of these areas or subtopics may be searched for specific resources.
To learn more about the resources available, visit the Repository.
Contact Information
Click here to subscribe to the listserv (or follow instructions below to subscribe):
- Send an E-mail message to: listserv@list.ahrq.gov.
- On the subject line, type: Subscribe.
- In the body of the message type: sub Medicaid-SCHIP-HIT and your full name. For example: sub Medicaid-SCHIP-HIT John Doe.
- You will receive a message asking you to confirm your intent to sign up.
For additional information, please contact Medicaid-SCHIP-HIT@ahrq.hhs.gov or call 1-866-253-1627.
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