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New Hampshire governor sets lofty EHR goal for Citizens Health Initiative

EHR Connection, May 26, 2008

Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire has directed the Citizens Health Initiative to develop a plan to improve the state’s health information infrastructure to help provide better and more affordable healthcare, according to a May 9 article in New Hampshire Business Review.

“Our goal is to keep New Hampshire one of the healthiest states in the nation, and make sure more of our citizens have access to quality health care, at a more affordable cost,” Lynch told the newspaper. “Technology can help us reach that goal, by doing for the health-care industry what it has done for virtually every other industry—improve quality and efficiency, which cuts down on errors and reduces costs.”

The goal of the initiative, launched in 2005, is to bring together lawmakers and other state officials, business leaders, healthcare providers, workers and insurance experts to address New Hampshire’s healthcare challenges, according to the article.

“It is widely recognized that universal adoption of electronic medical records, and the ability to transfer important patient data among hospitals, physicians and clinicians offers great promise for improved quality of care, reduced medical errors, and improved operating efficiencies for the provider of care,” Paul Spiess, co-chair of the initiative, told the newspaper. “It is critically important that the many organizations who are grappling with the complexity of adopting and implementing health information technology have a ‘road map’ to follow when making a commitment to invest in these important and complex systems.”

New Hampshire aims to be the first state in the nation to ensure that all physicians have the ability to prescribe electronically to help lower costs and reduce errors, according to the article.

Click here to read the New Hampshire Business Review article.

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