Kentucky moves forward with health information exchange program

Governor's Office Press Release:

Gov. Steve Beshear and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo have announced that Kentucky is moving forward with the creation of a statewide health information exchange – an initiative that will position the commonwealth as a national leader in e-health.

The move comes as President-elect Barack Obama is pledging to spend billions in stimulus dollars on e-health, an area that Lt. Gov. Mongiardo has been a leader in for several years.

“While all states–including Kentucky–are looking for ‘shovel-ready’ projects as part of a proposed federal stimulus, we are looking for innovative and groundbreaking ways to implement health technology – technology that will save lives and significantly reduce costs,” Gov. Beshear said. “This initiative – to create a statewide information exchange – is an important first step in making Kentucky a national leader in the emerging e-health movement.”

Lt. Gov. Mongiardo, a practicing physician, agreed, saying that “health information technology is the first thing on the list and the only thing on the horizon to both significantly reduce cost and to improve the quality of health care for our citizens in Kentucky and across the country.”