EXECUTIVE ORDER
07-12

WHEREAS, in January 2006, I created the Missouri Healthcare Information Technology Task Force (the Task Force); and

WHEREAS, I charged the Task Force with providing recommendations on how the State of Missouri can make health care information more readily available to health care providers, consumers and public health agencies; and

WHEREAS, in September 2006, the Task Force submitted its recommendations, a portion of which detailed Missouri's need to develop a plan to adopt health care information technology; and

WHEREAS, health care information technology can increase consumer involvement, reduce costs, promote transparency of both quality and costs, and position Missouri to be a leader in the health care industry; and

WHEREAS, on August 22, 2006, President Bush, by executive order, directed federal agencies that administer federal health care programs to take steps to ensure that consumers have better access to information regarding pricing and quality of services offered by health care providers; and

WHEREAS, Missourians could make better choices about health care for themselves and their loved ones if government fosters transparent and high-quality health care by making accurate and relevant information available to beneficiaries, enrollees, and providers.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Matt Blunt, Governor of the State of Missouri, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Missouri, do hereby issue the following orders:

Each Missouri state agency that administers or sponsors a state or federal health care program shall, or shall request that those with which they contract:

1. Support interoperable health information systems and products so long as the maintenance or exchange of health information includes provisions to protect patient privacy as required by law;

2. Support the development and implementation of objective quality standards for services supplied by health care providers in that program, ultimately making provider performance on these standards available to consumers of the program's services;

3. Support making information available regarding the prices for procedures or services under the program; and

4. Make every effort to deliver high-quality and cost-effective health care that may include consumer-directed health care plans and reimbursement methods that reward providers for results.

By June 30, 2007, each state agency that administers or sponsors a state or federal health care program shall provide me with a plan for implementing this Executive Order, with annual progress reports due at the end of each fiscal year thereafter.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, in the City of Jefferson, on this 2^nd day of March, 2007.

ATTEST:

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