DHHS NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY — Department of Health and Human Services Director Mike Willden announced today the creation and composition of the Nevada Health Information Exchange Board of Directors.
The NHIE Board is authorized by Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 439.588 and required by Nevada’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement.
The board is established to provide oversight and governance of the statewide system for the authorized and secure electronic exchange of health information. It comprises seven voting members and three ex-officio, non-voting members. Each of the following voting members is expected to serve for two years:
* Elizabeth A. Aiello, MBA, deputy administrator, Nevada Division of Health Care Financing and Policy and past chairman, Nevada State Board of Occupational Therapy,
Carson City
* Leo D. Basch, PharmD, RPh, clinical pharmacist, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, and past rreasurer, Nevada State Board of Pharmacy, Las Vegas
* Joan Hall, BSN, RN, president, Nevada Rural Hospital Partners and past board cbhairman, Nevada Hospital Association, Reno
* Jeffrey M. Kriseman, MS, PhD, public health informatics scientist, Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas
* Eric E. Lloyd, MHA, chief operating officer, AMERIGROUP Community Care of Nevada, Las Vegas
* Lindsey C. Niedzielski, MEd, state program manager, Connect Nevada, Sparks
* Andrew V. Pasternak IV, MD, MS, Silver Sage Center for Family Medicine and clinical assistant professor, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno
The three ex-officio members include DHHS Director Mike Willden, State Health IT Coordinator Lynn O’Mara and the future NHIE Executive Director.
“We are in the process of establishing Nevada’s not-for-profit HIE governing entity, as per NRS 439.588, and need the experience and expertise of the NHIE Board to be part of that formation activity,” said DHHS Director Willden. “The NHIE Board will both oversee the operations of the HIE governing entity and be the governance body for the statewide HIE system to ensure the authorized and secure electronic exchange of health information. It will also work with my office regarding compliance of the statewide HIE system participants with state and federal laws, including collaboration to develop necessary policies and regulations.”
Key elements of the NHIE Board’s responsibilities include:
- Establishing a governance and business structure, including personnel and processes, which achieve broad-based public-private stakeholder collaboration with transparency and accountability
- Collaborating and coordinating with DHHS on the implementation of Nevada’s federally approved State Health Information Technology Strategic and Operational Plan
- Monitoring compliance with nationally-recognized HIE standards, protocols and processes
- Ensuring compliance with state and federal laws, including privacy protection and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
- Establishing mechanisms to provide oversight and accountability of the statewide HIE operations to protect the public interest, including the creation of standing and ad hoc committees that address specific issues and include additional stakeholders
- Facilitating consumer/patient feedback and statewide public communications
Willden also announced that Joan Hall has agreed to serve as acting chair of the NHIE board until bylaws can be adopted and a permanent chair and vice chair can be elected. It is anticipated that the NHIE board will meet almost monthly for the first year, under open meeting law, with staff support provided first by DHHS and then by the HIE governing entity. The meetings are expected to be held in Reno or Carson City and videoconferenced to Las Vegas.
For more information about Nevada’s statewide HIE system and initiatives, please contact Lynn O’Mara, state health IT coordinator, (775) 684-7593 or [email protected].
