West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin passed a law in 2006 which created the West Virginia Health Information Network (WVHIN). With this law, West Virginia is poised to develop a plan to enhance the use of health information technology in the state. The Privacy and Security Collaborative allows the West Virginia Medical Institute (WVMI), the federally designated quality improvement organization for West Virginia, and the West Virginia Health Care Authority to expand on the efforts of the WVHIN as well as build on the efforts of the West Virginia eHealth Initiative (WVeHi), formed in 2005.

The WVeHi includes technologically savvy health care professionals who will work with WVMI, the Health Care Authority, and the state of West Virginia to provide privacy and security solutions to help create a common ground for interoperable health information. In order to work within the infrastructure that is already in place in our state, we will engage all stakeholders in modernizing WV's health care system and use technology to put health care information in the hands of practitioners when care is delivered.

Title: CEO- West Virginia Medical Institute

Name: John Wiesendanger

Email: jwiesendanger@wvmi.org

Title: Patient Safety Project Director/Project Director RTI HISPC Collaborative

Name: Patty Ruddick

Email: pruddick@wvmi.org

Title: Chief Privacy Officer, State of West Virginia

Name: Sallie Hunt

Email: shunt@hcawv.org

Stakeholders can get involved in the Privacy and Security Collaborative by joining the West Virginia eHealth Initiative. For more information, call West Virginia Project Safety Project Director Patty Ruddick at 304-346-9864 ext. 4211. For more information about WVeHI, go to its Web site at www.wvehi.org.