By Kate Ricker and Amy Zimmerman
In 2009, when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) was introduced, many of us were deeply immersed in state efforts to advance health information exchange (HIE). The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) (now the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP)), announced the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program, offering states federal funding to expand HIE efforts. This funding presented a unique opportunity to bridge data and technology gaps across health systems.
Along with this funding came new responsibilities for states, including the State IT Coordinator role. Each state applying for funding was required to have a State Health IT Coordinator providing, “health IT leadership and coordination across the federally funded state programs, including supporting the efforts of the State Medicaid Directors (SMDs) in developing the state’s Medicaid Electronic Health Record Meaningful Use Incentive Program (now known as Promoting Interoperability.” In addition, State Health IT Coordinators coordinated health IT activities across Medicaid, behavioral health, public health, departments of aging, and other federally funded state programs. The role held responsibilities beyond the State HIE Program, including directing health technology policy, strategies, and activities across federal and state-funded programs advancing health data, interoperability, and technical capabilities.
Serving as State Health IT Coordinators in Colorado and Rhode Island, we took on this new and broader role as State Health IT Coordinators and became extremely busy focusing on our individual state efforts. It was challenging to keep up with national efforts and emerging health technology priorities. There were limited opportunities to engage the other State Health IT Coordinators for knowledge sharing beyond the initial State HIE Program. Almost 15 years later, states are no longer required to have a State Health IT Coordinator, but many states kept the role and expanded the role and teams responsible for this work. State governments still play a significant role in effectively and efficiently modernizing the overall health data ecosystem inclusive of health care delivery, public health, behavioral health, social care, and health insurance by having interoperable data networks.
Transitions and Evolution of Health Technology
The health technology landscape has undergone significant transformation over the past few decades, primarily driven by the increasing need for secure, efficient data sharing across the public and private health sectors. Since leaving our state government roles, we have witnessed the transition from CMS HITECH Federal Financial Participation (FFP) funding to Medicaid Enterprise Systems (MES) modular certification funding for HIE, a global pandemic emphasizing the need for standardized data reporting and robust data exchange, and the evolution of multi-sector data needs for behavioral health and social needs data.
The state health IT and informatics leaders today can be in different state agencies with a broad range of responsibilities, technology portfolios, and influence. This, in turn, requires a wide range of subject matter expertise. Stepping into the role of a state health IT leader can be both an exciting and overwhelming challenge with a steep learning curve.
State Health IT Leader example responsibilities: The complexities associated with establishing health IT strategies that promote interoperability among health information systems, navigating the federal and state regulatory landscape, aligning privacy laws and policies, leveraging existing infrastructure, harmonizing the implementation of data standards, securing and sustaining funding and driving innovation to support the use data for data driven decision making in a timely manner, requires a unique blend of relationship building and community engagement, collaboration, strategic visioning, general management and technical understanding.
We are committed to supporting new and existing state health IT leaders and providing them with specific opportunities to support and learn from each other. This is why we have partnered with Civitas Networks for Health to develop The State Health Technology Commons (the Commons). The Commons offers new and existing state health IT leaders an opportunity to build the expertise necessary for success and to continue expanding that knowledge throughout their careers.
The Journey to Becoming a State Health IT Leader
State health IT leaders are tasked with modernizing health information ecosystems to ensure that they are efficient, secure, and align with state and federal health care goals such as improving individual health and social outcomes, protecting public health, and ensuring equitable access to care. For those new to the role, topics such as understanding the intersection of policy and technology, maximizing the technology funding process and opportunities, leveraging HIEs and Health Data Utilities (HDUs) to increase interoperability, and assessing the impact of federal regulations can be intimidating.
This is where the State Health Technology Commons comes into play. Designed as a collaborative, open learning community, the Commons provides new as well as existing leaders with access to a wealth of resources, expert insights and experiences, and a supportive network of peers.
Michael Pancook has been serving as Maine’s Health Information Technology Coordinator for Maine’s Department of Health and Human Service since May 2023. Although Michael trained federally qualified health centers in the use of health it and data analysis, he found his new role a bit daunting. Michael, as a new state health IT leader has stated that participating in this learning community has “provided access to expertise and resources to manage the stream of new information and offered a safe venue to ask questions and share challenges.”
The journey for state health IT leaders is not typically a straight path. It is often a long and winding road with many twists and turns, and crossroads where decisions must be made. Today, we all use GPS to help us get to where we are going. The Commons is a tool, like GPS, that aids State Health IT Leaders in helping to navigate and drive efforts to meet state health IT needs in the following ways:
- Accelerating the Learning Curve – New state health IT leaders need to quickly get up to speed on a wide range of topics beyond technology such as community governance and partnerships, state and federal legal, regulatory and policy considerations, data and interoperability standards, and funding and sustainability to mention a few. The Commons provides an environment where newer leaders can promptly identify their peers in other states, talk with more experienced leaders and subject matter experts to better understand lessons learned and best practices, and ask questions to gain knowledge and obtain support, as needed. Accelerating the learning process can help new leaders avoid common pitfalls, build confidence, become educated and gain access to current resources to guide them in their work.
- Obtaining Mentorship and Peer Support – One of the most valuable aspects of the Commons is the opportunity for new leaders to connect with experienced mentors and peers. This often occurs during facilitated monthly calls. The relationships, built through the Commons, create a peer network where state leaders feel comfortable reaching out to others on their own to ask pressing questions, obtain guidance, and use each other as a sounding board or vent as needed. For many leaders, a peer support network is an essential resource that helps to reduce the feeling of job-related isolation and provides a safe and supportive environment. Collaboration and mentorship is not a one-way street. It fosters a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, where both new and season leaders benefit from the exchange of knowledge and perspectives.
- Enhancing Expertise Over Time – Health IT policies and tools are dynamic, ever-changing, and rapidly evolving. For state health IT leaders, staying current is a necessity. The Commons supports professional development and knowledge sharing by creating an environment that enables leaders to continuously expand their expertise. This includes the ability to stay current on new and emerging health IT topics (e.g., the use of AI), in addition to federal priorities and new initiatives.
- Creating a neutral and safe space in support of building ongoing state health IT leadership – The Commons strength is in facilitating a highly collaborative environment encouraging active and open participation. New and existing state leaders can engage in meaningful and honest conversations and learn from each other’s diverse perspectives and constraints. Creating a neutral and safe community with a shared purpose allows new leaders to comfortably ask questions, explore new concepts, gain feedback on their approaches, and create a common voice. For seasoned leaders, it offers the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and learn from the fresh perspectives of new leaders.
Looking Forward
The Commons serves as an investment in the future of state health IT leadership. As leaders continue to increase their understanding of state health IT needs and solutions, the overall capacity of state health ecosystems across the country will continue to expand and improve. The Commons offers a unique opportunity for state health IT leaders to obtain familiarity with their role and for all leaders, new or old, to expand their expertise in a caring and supportive, collaborative environment. We encourage all state health IT leaders to join the Commons. Together, we can build a stronger, more knowledgeable community of state health IT leaders prepared to address the rapidly evolving health IT needs of states and align with national efforts.
Kate Ricker, B.A., M.A., is a transformative leader in health policy, strategy, technology, and program integration with nineteen years of experience providing vision and successful execution of multi-stakeholder projects. She has advised thirty-two states leveraging a unique capacity to conceptualize and develop creative solutions to complex health initiatives in the public and private sectors.
Amy Zimmerman, MPH, is a health Information technology and exchange specialist focusing on state and federal strategy, policy, and operations.
We encourage you to get in touch with our team at Civitas to hear more about our work, our partners, and answer any questions you might have.
If you are interested in participating in the State Health Technology Commons, please reach out to
