24 February 2010
Funding To Support an eHealth Network for Improving Health And Reducing Health Costs
NASHVILLE, Tenn., February 24, 2010 – CIGNA has contributed $150,000 to the Middle Tennessee eHealth Connect (MTeHC) toward its work to develop a regional health information organization for exchanging electronic medical records to help improve health care quality and reduce costs.
“CIGNA’s $150,000 contribution is an investment for improving the health and reducing health care costs of Tennesseans,” said John Sorrow, president of CIGNA HealthCare of Tennessee. “We at CIGNA are proud that Tennessee is a national leader in electronic health information exchange and that we are able to help our state create a network of electronic medical records so that physicians can better coordinate care, avoid redundancies and strengthen the care provided to individuals across the state.” MTeHC will allow health care professionals in its health information network access to patient medical records in one safe, secure location.
Tennessee’s Office of e-Health Initiatives was created in 2006 as the state’s coordinating authority for the exchange of electronic health information, and works with other regional health organizations, such as the Mid-South e-Health Alliance in Memphis and CareSpark in Kingsport, to increase the adoption of health information technology.
“Tennessee continues to show national leadership in the secure exchange of health information to benefit patients,” said Commissioner Dave Goetz, Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. “MTeHC, through the support of CIGNA’s grant, will be a model in Middle Tennessee for clinicians and hospitals having access to decision-ready health information at the point of care, and therefore will help drive improvements in health care outcomes.”
According to Larry Kloess, chairman of the MTeHC Board, millions of dollars are spent each year in Middle Tennessee because of lack of access to patient records at other facilities. “We are grateful that CIGNA is dedicated to improving the health of those living in Tennessee,” said Kloess. “With this donation to the MTeHC, we can take the next steps toward achieving our goals to create a state-wide health information exchange.”
