: Six Critical Access Hospitals located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula have united as the Michigan Upper Peninsula Health Information Partnership to Improve patient safety and quality of care through the regional planning, development, and implementation of Health Information Technologies. Each hospital has agreed to commit its organizational resources, support and participation in: (1) a 12-month, joint HIT planning process; (2) implementation of the HIT plan; (3) the use of the regional HIT system to assist local rural communities to improve health care access; (4) building local and regional resources to monitor the quality of healthcare; (5) expanding the use of HIT educational, communication, and clinical applications in the region; and (6) submitting a Network grant to the AHRQ to help fund HIT strategies identified in the regional HIT Plan and measure its impact on patient safety and both the quality and costs of care. The HIT planning and implementation activities of this Six-CAH Hospital Network will be used by Michigan's Center for Rural Health as a template for adoption and inclusion of Michigan's 12 other Critical Access Hospitals and other state CAH programs. The Planning Director, with the help of HIT clinical and technical experts, will work with a Planning Committee, comprised of the CEO and HIT Officers of each hospital. These planning committee members are key stakeholders in: their communities; the subsequent implementation of the Network HIT systems; and the future expansion of the Network within each local community. Over the 12-month planning process, the Committee will: define the current situation; define areas of focus and Network goals; evaluate and prioritize strategies; define measurable HIT outcomes; agree to the Network's ongoing evaluation process; adopt the final regional HIT plan; prepare a 2005 AHRQ Implementation grant; and conduct an evaluation of the HIT planning process. ? ? ?
