A goal of Governor Charlie Crist, the Florida Legislature and the Agency for Health Care Administration is to improve care and reduce health care costs by providing comparative data on hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, health plans and retail prices of commonly prescribed drugs. One outcome of this goal is a recently redesigned AHCA website where information on quality, pricing and performance is delivered to Florida residents. In addition to this information, Florida has a wealth of consumer health information services and resources that are not coordinated in a way that provides easy identification and access.
To coordinate and build on these services and resources, the Florida Consumer Health Information Network (FCHIN) steering committee composed of 18 members of the Florida healthcare and library communities started meeting in July 2007. Members represent all medical schools in Florida, major Florida healthcare organizations including library organizations, the State Library and Archives of Florida, the Florida AHEC programs and the colleges of library and information science in Florida.
This planning initiative has been funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern/Atlantic Region (NN/LM SE/A) for one year beginning October 1, 2007. The award is funding a series of meetings with the steering committee and other stakeholders to develop a plan for the delivery of consumer health information resources and services to the residents of Florida and to explore a number of strategies, including partnering with state and local healthcare providers, state agencies and regional organizations.
Since the residents of Florida will have better access to higher quality health information, they will be better able to participate in the process of maintaining a healthier and higher quality of life. Impacts from FCHIN initiatives and other consumer health information projects may also include lower overall health care costs for both the state of Florida as well as for individuals. Other states have shown evidence that state-based health information networks can result in outcomes such as avoiding acute health conditions, selecting optimal treatment options, making local connections best suited for individuals seeking health services and smoking cessation, among others.