On September 16th, the Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to eight technology vendors invited to propose technical solutions for supporting a statewide HIE.
The purpose of the RFP is to identify a vendor whose solution aligns best with OHIP’s HIE State Plan strategy and sustainability model. Vendors will be evaluated on their ability to address OHIP’s priorities while demonstrating their strategic and technical capacity to be flexible and adaptable to change.
The invited vendors were selected following a Request for Information (RFI) that concluded in April 2010. Their selection was based on their ability to support a substantially sized market. Since that time, OHIP staff and stakeholders have focused on completing the HIE State Plan that was submitted to the Office of the National Coordinator in July 2010.
In August a stakeholder workgroup met with HIE vendors to begin a dialogue on the pros and cons of technical models currently supported in the marketplace. There are three primary considerations such as the ability to integrate with both regional HIEs and NHIN, support interoperability requirements specified by ONC, and connect to the state’s new Medicaid Management Information system.
OHIP is a non-profit entity funded through a combination of state and federal grants, including ARRA to develop a statewide HIE for Ohio to enable hospitals and physicians to communicate electronically and to assist Ohio physicians and other providers implement and adopt EHRs.
