WASHINGTON – On Monday, the National Governors Association named the two governors who will head up the newly formed State Alliance for e-Health.

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas have been chosen to run the State Alliance because of their proven initiative on e-Health issues within their states, said Kathleen Nolan, head of the project and health director at NGA’s Center for Best Practices.

In addition, “both governors have expressed a strong desire and a willingness to commit a substantial amount of time and energy into this project,” Nolan said. “They also have the leadership skills and ability to really help drive a consensus forward.”

According to Heidi Tringe, communications director for the Vermont Agency of Human Services, “Gov. Douglas is thrilled he was selected to help lead this vitally important initiative.”
His selection is likely due to his role in leading the development of Vermont’s regional health information organization and chronic care disease management initiative, Tringe said.
 
In fall 2003, Douglas launched the Vermont Blueprint for Health, a comprehensive proactive system of healthcare, Tringe said. Under Douglas’s leadership, Vermont is developing a chronic care IT system which will include a registry of clinical data on patients with chronic diseases that will be available to all healthcare providers in the state.

Tennessee Gov. Bredesen praised the advent of the State Alliance, saying, "States are taking the lead on a cutting-edge solution for an issue of national concern."

Tennessee receives $6.8 million in federal funds to develop e-Health initiatives and ranks fourth in the nation in federal funding for such efforts, Bredesen’s office said in a statement Monday. The state has a number of HIT initiatives, including the e-Health Advisory Council, a body to advance e-Health solutions in Tennessee that Bredesen launched earlier this year. Tennessee is one of nine states participating in the development of the nationwide best practices for RHIOs. It will also launch a statewide technology assessment of physicians’ electronic prescribing capabilities, Bredesen’s office said.
 
The Department of Health and Human Services announced its $1.99 million contract with NGA for the formation of the State Alliance for e-Health last month. The Alliance will provide a nationwide forum to help stakeholders identify inter- and intrastate-based HIT policies and best practices and explore solutions to programmatic and legal issues related to the exchange of health information, NGA officials said.