(This article is from the Pennsylvania Medical Society's website archives.)
Bills that would extend the Chronic Care Commission and the Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange (PHIX) probably will not be considered before the end of the 2009-2010 legislative session, leaving their fate up to the next governor.
Both initiatives expire at the end of 2010.
Created by Gov. Ed Rendell’s executive order in May 2007, the Chronic Care Commission has launched projects to improve treatment of patients with diabetes and asthma.
The first project focused on physician practices in southeast Pennsylvania. A second project is now underway in the west. Participating physicians receive financial incentives for their involvement.
Physicians in the southeast, where the project first started, have reported success. For instance, the number of diabetics receiving an annual foot exam improved from 21 percent to 63 percent.
Created by another executive order in March 2008, PHIX received a $17.1 million federal grant to get started and is currently seeking vendors to set up the exchange. The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) sits on the PHIX Advisory Council.
Darlene Kauffman, PAMED associate director of payer relations, testified in May 2010 on the value of a health information exchange.
“I cannot begin to express to you how valuable it would be for a cardiologist to encounter a chronic heart patient suffering from an acute cardiac event in the emergency room at 3 AM and be able to view a cardiac echo done three months ago in San Francisco—or even the hospital just across town,” she said.