From September 2007 until May 2012, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provided a technical assistance program to Medicaid and CHIP agencies to help them develop, implement, and participate in health information technology (health IT) and health information exchange (HIE). Through a contract with RTI International, AHRQ's technical assistance program developed and provided a wide range of resources and tools to assist Medicaid and CHIP agencies in improving the delivery and coordination of care. These resources helped to improve the proactive management of health of Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries through the use of health IT. The program was a resource for agencies needing assistance with plans for using or implementing health IT, including HIEs to support internal and external business and operating needs and the efficient delivery of quality services.

The program included the following components:

• A repository of information relevant to Medicaid and CHIP to support the technical assistance and disseminate best practices.
• Over 50 technical assistance events, including Webinars, Web-based and in-person workshops and Community of Practice Meetings.

Through the program, AHRQ reached agency staff from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa and posted over 700 documents in the repository.

Communities of Practice

Through the course of the technical assistance program, AHRQ convened several Communities of Practice (CoPs). The CoPs were conceived as open, collegial platforms for Medicaid and CHIP staff to use for exchanging up-to-date information on health IT and HIE issues and to share their questions and experiences related to those issues. One tenet of traditional CoPs is that they are directed by members themselves. The Medicaid and CHIP CoPs embodied this principle from the very beginning, maintaining a planning team of Medicaid and CHIP agency staff that met between CoP meetings. At various points in the project, CoPs formed around these topic areas:        

• Privacy and Security
• Sustainability and Funding
• Use of Health IT for Children (CHIP and Children’s Issues in Health IT and HIE CoP and Health IT for Children’s Health Care Quality CoP)
• Collaboration Between Medicaid and Other Health IT Initiatives (Collaborative Activities Between Medicaid and RECs/State HIE Grantees CoP and Medicaid Involvement in State Health Information Exchange CoP)
• Managing Multiple Health IT Projects in Medicaid and CHIP

 If you are a Medicaid or CHIP agency staff person interested in participating in a CoP around other Health IT and HIE issues, please visit the Medicaid HITECH Technical Assistance Portal for more information on the CoPs that are being offered and how to join:  http://www.medicaidhitechta.org/CommunitiesbrofPractice.aspx

Medicaid and CHIP Repository

The Medicaid and CHIP repository allows users to search for content on health IT and HIE issues directly related to Medicaid and CHIP agencies. General overview materials provide basic information about the relationship between health IT/HIE and Medicaid and CHIP agencies.

Case studies highlighting Medicaid-CHIP agencies are also available in the repository. These case studies highlight innovative practices in health IT or health information exchange, offering lessons learned and success factors for agencies that are planning similar initiatives.

The remaining content is organized into areas of health IT and HIE and further categorized as one of three main subtopics within those areas: policy, technology, or evaluation. The entire collection of documents may be searched, or any of these areas or subtopics may be searched for specific resources.

Repository content was updated with new journal articles, issue briefs, policy briefs, case studies, and other resources from March 2009 until May 2012.

To learn more about the resources available, visit the Repository.