In this policy briefing, presenters discussed opportunities available to California through the federal economic stimulus package to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care in the state. The presentation included a discussion of what the state must do in order for physicians to qualify for the health information technology (IT) incentive funds and to be competitive with regard to the various new grant programs becoming available.

The speakers were:

• Jonah Frohlich, senior program officer, California HealthCare Foundation;
• William Bernstein, Manatt Health Solutions; and
• Sam Karp, vice president of programs, California HealthCare Foundation.

Highlights of the presentation were:

• Frohlich provided an overview of the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in California and introduced the concept of "meaningful use" of EHRs. He noted that the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act is game-changing in that it is a huge infusion of funding for health IT — but there are as many risks as opportunities.
• Bernstein gave a lengthy presentation on the details of the HITECH Act. He described the structure for standards development, new privacy provisions, how the funds will flow, adoption incentives, meaningful use incentives, the State Health Information Exchange (HIE) Cooperative Agreement Program, State Designated Entity requirements, and related funding opportunities.
• Karp focused on seven recommendations to the State of California: (1) appoint a Deputy Secretary of Health IT, (2) select a State Designated Entity for HIE, (3) facilitate Medi-Cal incentive payments, (4) engage federal officials and policymakers, (5) authorize matching funds, (6) provide technical guidance and education on health privacy issues, and (7) take advantage of opportunities in workforce, research and development, and broadband.

The presentation slides are available under Document Downloads. The complete report is available under Related CHCF Pages below.