VERMONT HIE PRESIDENT TO ASSIST SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN PLANNING EFFORT

Gregory Farnum will join Birmingham, Mich.-based ChangeScape Inc. as a consultant to its Southwest Michigan Health Information Exchange planning project. He will be charged in assisting the development of the regional HIE technical infrastructure.

Farnum is the founder and president of Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL), who will be stepping down to work as a consultant to regional state and regional HIEs. He worked with vendors and payors to assemble a medication history service that is recognized as one of the most comprehensive in the U.S. and directed the launch of a results messaging service that has delivered thousands of lab results from hospitals around the state to physician electronic health records systems since the service began last September.

Under Farnum's leadership, VITL developed one of the nation’s first HIEs that is fully compliant with standards adopted by the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) profiles. The Vermont Health Information Technology Plan also received recognition from the Office of the National Coordinator as one of the best in the country. VITL was also successful in working with primary care physician practices across Vermont to help them implement Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology-certified electronic health records systems.

"We are fortunate to have Greg on our planning team," ChangeScape President and CEO Mindy Richards said. "His experience and track record will help us develop an equally successful HIE model that will connect healthcare providers throughout Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties, and ultimately the State of Michigan."

The Southwest Michigan Health Information Exchange is one of nine proposed regional HIEs throughout the State of Michigan. The planning process involves developing business and technology plans that will allow hospitals, physicians, community health organizations, laboratories, pharmacies and other authorized healthcare providers to share essential patient data quickly, accurately and securely. ChangeScape is coordinating the Southwest Michigan planning process in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Community Health's statewide efforts.

For more information on the Southwest Michigan Health Information Exchange, visit www.mihealthelink.org. For more information about ChangeScape, visit www.changescapeinc.com.

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