Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy and the Health Information Technology Advisory Council encourage you to provide comment on the Environmental Scan Findings and Draft Recommendations Report to inform the development of the Five-Year Statewide Health Information Technology Plan.

The eScan Report details the stakeholder engagement campaign conducted by consulting partner CedarBridge Group with more than 1,200 Connecticut residents, including 502 individuals and more than 600 organizations representing the health and human services ecosystem. Input on the current state and future desires for health IT and health data exchange has been synthesized to produce major themes and findings that cut across different health sectors, along with findings specific to individual sectors (e.g., behavioral health, hospitals, community-based organizations, etc.).

Based on consensus opportunities, challenges, innovations, and barriers communicated by Connecticut stakeholders, recommendations for advancing Connecticut’s health IT capabilities have been drafted in the following topic areas:

1.            Strategies for Widespread Use and Sustainability of Connie

2.            Systems and Strategies to Address Social Determinants of Health

3.            Service Coordination and Data Integration Across State Agencies

4.            Support Adoption of EHRs and HIE Services by Behavioral Health Providers

5.            A Best Possible Medication History HIE Service, Connected Through Connie

6.            Health Information Privacy to Protect Individuals and Families

We are releasing for public comment on a draft version of the eScan Report which is accessible here. You are invited to review this draft, share with others, and send back any comments or suggestions about its contents by the close of business Friday, August 13, 2021.

Your feedback should be sent electronically to tina.kumar@ct.gov with ‘Health IT eScan Report comment’ in the subject line. Receipt of your input will be acknowledged electronically as well.

All comments submitted will be posted on the OHS website; in addition, they will be reviewed and considered ahead of a final report, set to be issued in December 2021.

Thank you for participating in efforts to refine this important document.