Background Information

To assist in your assessment, key information from the FOA has been synthesized and presented in a summary format. This includes:

 Categorizing State’s Planning Status

 Summary of Key Plan Dimensions and Related Program Guidance

Self-Assessment and Technical Assistance Checklist

The checklist includes two major sections. The first section addresses the general and domain-specific components of the Strategic Plan. The subsequent section addresses the Operational Plan components.

Keep in mind that this checklist does not present all the detailed information that must be addressed and submitted as part of a state’s application. Please refer to the complete ONC Program guidance as you prepare your submission materials.

Links to Other Resources

Additional pertinent resources provide valuable background information relative to the domains and Plan development. These include:

 “Advancing Effective State-level Approaches to Interoperability in the New Federal Context (May 2009).” This report provides a rich synthesis of information and serves as a valuable workbook regarding state approaches, lessons learned, and key recommendations from the State-level HIE Consensus Project participants. This and many other reports and workbooks about SL-HIE development are available from the SL-HIE Consensus Project at www.slhie.org.

 “Preparing to Implement HITECH: A State Guide for Electronic Health Information Exchange (2009),” and “Accelerating Progress, Using health Information Technology and Electronic health Information to Improve Care (2008).” These two reports produced by the State Alliance for eHealth under the auspices of the National Governor’s Association provide valuable summaries of key HIE implementation issues for state governments, especially considering three models for HIE accountability and governance. These resources are available at www.nga.org/center/ehealth.

 Other resources can be found online through the Office of the National Coordinator e.g. recommendations from the Policy Committee regarding meaningful use criteria, results from the Health Information Privacy and Security Collaboration. These and more are available at http://healthit.hhs.gov .