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 needs assessment to determine the types of technical assistance that will be offered in subsequent years.
• 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

A Community of Practice (CoP) is defined as "a group of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis." (Wegner 2002)

Several CoPs will be formed throughout the year. Each CoP will meet every 2 months for interactive discussions on issues of their choosing.

The Medicaid-CHIP Privacy and Security CoP was established in March 2009 to focus on privacy and security issues affecting the planning and implementation of health IT and HIE projects by Medicaid and CHIP . CoP members include Medicaid-CHIP Agency staff (or their designated consultants/contractors) that support Medicaid and CHIP agencies as they address these health IT and HIE-related privacy and security issues.

The initial topic areas for this CoP are (1) applying Federal law and regulation to their HIT/HIE activities, (2) determining the privacy and security implications of Medicaid-CHIP participation in health information exchange led by others or initiated by Medicaid-CHIP agencies themselves, and (3) determining the privacy and security implications of Medicaid-CHIP HIT projects.

The Medicaid-CHIP Sustainability and Funding CoP will be established in June 2009. Potential topics include: State and Federal sources for startup and ongoing funding for health IT initiatives; funding and sustainability for Agency HIE links with public health or private sector entities; opportunities in ARRA to promote health IT and HIE among providers and other Medicaid-CHIP partners within States; and evaluating costs and/or cost-savings of health IT and HIE initiatives.

Another Community of Practice currently planned is CHIP and Health IT/HIE, which will kickoff in August.

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. The remaining content is organized into three main categories: Policy, Technology, and Evaluation. The entire collection of documents may be searched, or any of these three areas 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):

1. Send an E-mail message to: listserv@list.ahrq.gov.
2. On the subject line, type: Subscribe.
3. In the body of the message type: sub Medicaid-SCHIP-HIT and your full name. For example: sub Medicaid-SCHIP-HIT John Doe.
4. 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.