The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) April 23, 2008, announced it will endorse and support a statewide health information exchange system currently being developed by the CalRHIO. CalPERS is the nation’s third largest purchaser of health benefits after the federal government and General Motors, providing health benefits to more than 1.2 million State and public agency employees, retirees, and their dependents.

"As the largest purchaser of health benefits in California, we are pleased to lead the effort to drive the development of a statewide health information exchange system,” said CalPERS Board of Administration President Rob Feckner. “The electronic exchange of health data will lead to increased safety, higher quality and better coordination of care.”

CalPERS directed its current health plans – Anthem Blue Cross (formerly Blue Cross of California), Blue Shield of California and Kaiser Permanente – to negotiate contract terms with CalRHIO. CalPERS will work with CalRHIO to ensure that privacy policies are strictly followed and that member health information is securely transferred.

The CalPERS Board encouraged CalRHIO to engage the CalPERS health plans to participate in the statewide information exchange system for their entire books of business – not just CalPERS.
 
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Cisco has agreed in principle to participate with CalRHIO’s technology partners, Medicity, Inc., and Perot Systems Corporation, in building a statewide health information exchange utility service for California. Cisco joins HP, which signed on to the collaborative effort in May 2007.
 
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Templates, forms, processes, and policies are part of the HIE Tool Kit CalRHIO has developed under a grant from the Blue Shield of California Foundation to assist Safety Net providers in advancing health information exchange. Other types of organizations will find the tools useful as well. The templates can be easily modified and customized to meet the needs of providers, consortia, community clinics, and others. Additional tools are under development. The site will also add tools from other organizations.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Johnson, Program Planning and Development Director at 415-537-6938 or jjohnson@calrhio.org.
 
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Funding from Sutter Health network of physicians, hospitals, and other health care service providers will support development of a statewide health information exchange network that will benefit rural and small hospitals.
 
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