Florida, Kentucky officials envision state e-health networks

Florida's governor and a Kentucky legislator have independently proposed the creation of online networks to foster more efficient, less costly health care.

By Tyler Chin, AMNews staff. Feb. 23, 2004.

Political leaders in two states have generated separate plans to create electronic health care networks, enabling physicians, hospitals, insurance companies and patients to exchange clinical and financial information statewide.

In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush announced he will create and appoint an advisory committee to make recommendations for how to establish a network by December 2006.

In Kentucky, Daniel Mongiardo, MD, an otolaryngologist and Democratic state senator from Hazard, has introduced legislation to create a statewide e-health network.

This is the third time in the last three years the senator has pushed for a statewide network.

The network would make the health care system more efficient and less costly, said Dr. Mongiardo, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

No state has created such an electronic health care network.

Gov. Bush's plan is part of a larger package of proposals designed to make health care more affordable and accessible, Florida officials said.

Bush also will ask the soon-to-be-created advisory committee to address cost and privacy issues, and to work with the federal government to ensure its implementation plan is compatible with efforts to develop a national health information infrastructure, including adoption of electronic records, said Rhonda Meadows, MD, Secretary of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration.

For example, the federal government last year commissioned the Institute of Medicine to design a standardized electronic medical record and endorsed several health data standards. And last month, President Bush urged the industry to use electronic records to reduce medical errors, improve care and lower costs.