Draft Affinity Domain Policies

I was asked to comment on the Connecticut HIE Policies. This is a really great example of the administrative work that must be done before one can really be evaluating the security and privacy needs of an HIE. These policies were written using many ISO standards and the IHE Affinity Domain planning kit. Please go to the site as they have a beautiful breakdown of the various many policies that are needed. Many people don't believe me when I say that there are many layers of policy.

These are a really good example of how a HIO can take a look at what is out there and pull what they understand while doing what is necessary to get what they need done. One thing like this came up last week during the HL7 discussion on confidentialityCodes. Connecticut was confused by the vocabulary offered by HL7, and thus wrote their own vocabulary. They actually pulled more from ISO 13606, but didn't use that vocabulary either. We were lucky enough to be able to discuss this in detail last week. It is a good thing that HL7 will be revising their documentation and vocabulary so that we can have a vocabulary that could be understood beyond one HIE.

On behalf of the Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut (HITE-CT) Board of Directors, I am writing to inform you that HITE-CT is currently gathering public comment on the proposed policies for the implementation of a state-wide health information exchange.
 The establishment of policies and procedures are a key component for an effective HIE and sets the boundaries for data sharing between the health information exchange and its participating partners.  Additionally, the HITE-CT policies and procedures will contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the HITE-CT.
 HITE-CT is currently gathering your input for the policies and procedures that will govern the practices for Connecticut’s Health Information Exchange.  There are four separate opportunities for you to comment and we hope that you will make every effort to attend or submit your comments electronically on the Comments and Resolution Form located on the website.
 These policies are now posted on the HITE-CT website and are available for public comment. The direct link to the Policies and Procedures page is http://1.usa.gov/hitectpolicies.  The policies may also be accessed by going to the DPH website at www.ct.gov/dph under featured links: Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut”, then click on “Policies and Procedures” located on the left hand bar menu.
 The schedule for attending a public meeting and submitting public comments on the Health Information Technology Exchange of Connecticut’s (HITE-CT) proposed policies is as follows:

September 20, 2011 8:30 AM – 10 AM	Legal & Policy Committee Meeting	BEST (formerly known as DOIT) 101 East River Drive East Hartford
September 22, 2011 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM	Technical Infrastructure Committee Meeting	BEST 101 East River Drive East Hartford
October 4, 2011 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM	Legal & Policy Committee Meeting	BEST 101 East River Drive East Hartford
October 17, 2011 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM	Board of Directors	BEST 101 East River Drive East Hartford

 Please Note: At the October 17, 2011 Board of Directors meeting a discussion and a vote to adopt the policies and procedures will take place.
 We kindly ask that you distribute this information to anyone you think may be interested in commenting on the policies.

I would love to see more of this. It is always very important to see how a standard is understood or misunderstood so that we can make it better.