Hanley Forum Kicks Off Statewide Planning Process Aimed At Accelerating the Adoption of EMRs by Maine's Behavioral Health Community
Behavioral health leaders from throughout Maine are encouraged to take part in one-year planning process designed to align and accelerate the introduction of electronic medical records and clinical information-sharing systems for Maine's behavioral health community.
This planning process also is intended to lay the groundwork for efficient interconnectivity between behavioral health and physical health providers through HealthInfoNet, Maine's statewide electronic health information exchange.
The Hanley Center's process is being conducted under the auspices of Maine's Health Information Technology Steering Committee in cooperation with HealthInfoNet and a number of respected statewide organizations engaged in behavioral health, quality improvement and the improved coordination of care. Funding has been provided by the Maine Health Access Foundation.
Tjhe process begins at a one-day Hanley Leadership Forum on Tuesday, March 15 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport. It will continue with five half-day planning sessions and a final wrap up session next winter.
Because space is limited at our kick-off forum on March 15, participation is by invitation only. Those interested in attending should contact Hanley Center Executive Director Jim Harnar at jamesharnar@hanleyleadership.org.
More than 50 behavioral health provider organizations have been invited to attend. The executive director/CEO of each of these organizations is being encouraged to register a two-member team to include CEO and senior clinical director, privacy/compliance officer or IT director. Several dozen other leaders from state agencies, statewide professional organizations and the legal community also have been invited to attend.
Why Is This Planning Process Taking Place?
As Maine begins implementation of a statewide Health Information Technology strategy, it has become increasingly evident that greater attention must be devoted to coordinating emerging clinical information systems within the behavioral health provider community. While some behavioral health providers have taken steps to coordinate the acquisition and use of new systems, many others have not yet done so. Maine's rigorous medical privacy statute has discouraged many providers as they've attempted to move from the current, siloed patient-information environment, to systems that allow disparate providers to share information and coordinate care. Unless action is taken soon to catalyze greater collaboration, more and more behavioral health providers will purchase and install clinical information systems that do not allow for the efficient, appropriate sharing of patient information.
The Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership is dedicated to building a culture of greater collaboration in Maine's health and healthcare sector. In recent years, the Center has played a role in the development of Maine's statewide electronic health information exchange. This system has been the focus of two statewide Hanley Leadership Forums (2005 and 2009). The Center has a longstanding working relationships with behavioral health as well as physical health leaders across Maine.
Outcomes from Forums
2011
- Remarks by Jaye Weisman, PhD
- 2011 Hanley Leadership Forum Agenda
- Presentation by H. Westley Clark, MD, JD
- Final Report of Maine Health IT Legal Work Group
- Schedule of HIT Planning Sessions for 2011
- Draft Pre-Forum Survey Summary
2008
2007
2006
- Who Will Pay For Quality Health Care: Can The State of Maine Set An Example? Stuart H. Altman
- Forum White Paper
2005
2004
In June 2004, the Forum focused on developing a Maine collaborative model for adopting and implementing screening and risk factor reduction guidelines as they are released nationally for implementation. Fifty statewide participants represented payers, hospitals, practitioners, public health groups and community-based Healthy Maine Coalitions, state agencies, employers, health educators, and quality assurance coordinators.
Using the Obesity Guideline, the Forum explored how collaborative leadership by Maine's health care providers, health organizations, state agencies, communities, and consumers can be leveraged to improve the link between favorable research findings and better health outcomes for Maine people.
- 2004 Report on Proceedings: Executive Summary
- 2004 Report on Proceedings
2003
In June 2003, the Center held its first Forum. The 2003 forum summary presents the discussion and ideas shared at the Forum.