Relating to personal care agencies and providers, and affecting small businesses.
Submitted by Department of Health Services.
Report received from Agency, June 2, 2010.
To committee on Health and Healthcare Reform
.
Referred on June 7, 2010
.
Relating to the collection and analysis of motor vehicle traffic stop information.
Submitted by Office of Justice Assistance.
Report received from Agency, May 21, 2010.
To committee on Criminal Justice
.
Referred on June 1, 2010
.
Relating to the definition of volatile organic compounds.
Submitted by Department of Natural Resources.
Report received from Agency, June 1, 2010.
To committee on Natural Resources
.
Referred on June 10, 2010
.
Relating to anatomical gifts and the Wisconsin donor registry.
Submitted by Department of Health Services.
Report received from Agency, June 2, 2010.
To committee on Health and Healthcare Reform
.
Referred on June 7, 2010
.
__________________
Communications
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Reference Bureau
Madison
DATE: June 1, 2010
TO: Patrick E. Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
Robert Marchant
Senate Chief Clerk
FROM: Bruce J. Hoesly
Code Editor
SUBJECT: Rules published in the May 31, 2010,
Wisconsin Administrative
Register, No. 653.
The following rules have been published:
Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Employee Trust Funds
Department of Health Services
Madison
June 1, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Wis. Stat. §
153.05 (2s) directs the Department of Health Services and the Department of Employee Trust Funds to jointly prepare an annual report on the activities of the Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHIO). The Departments are required to submit this report to the standing committees of the Legislature with jurisdiction over health issues.
At both the national and state levels, efforts are under way to transform health care through the use of health information technology (HIT). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 appropriated over $35 billion to advance the adoption of electronic health records and to create standardized electronic health information exchange (HIE). Health IT allows comprehensive management of medical information and its secure exchange between health care consumers and providers. Broad use of HIT has the potential to improve health care quality, prevent medical errors, increase the efficiency of care, reduce unnecessary health care costs, increase administrative efficiencies, decrease paperwork, expand access to affordable care, and improve population health.
WHIO is just one example of Wisconsin's leadership in using electronic health information to drive changes in the health care system and prepares Wisconsin well to move forward in developing statewide HIE-an effort that is proceeding under the stewardship of the WIRED for Health Board. As a result of the ground-breaking work done by WHIO, and once statewide HIE becomes available, both public and private sector health care purchasers will have the ability to measure the quality and price of health care services and use that information to increase the value of future purchases. Health care providers will be better able to identify where quality and cost variation exists and answer the question, "What care provides the most value to patients?"
WHIO is also an excellent example of a collaborative public-private partnership and an extremely important initiative for Wisconsin to achieve transparency in health care and promote better health care outcomes for the people of Wisconsin. WHIO's efforts to convene a statewide conversation around payment and delivery system reform are commendable and will help Wisconsin move toward rewarding quality patient outcomes and creating incentives for more cost-effective care, not just more care. We continue to be fully committed to working in partnership with the other health care stakeholders across the state through WHIO.
Please find enclosed the second annual report on the activities of WHIO, as well as a fact sheet on WHIO, and a Frequently Asked Questions document. If you have any questions, please contact Denise Webb, State Health IT Coordinator, at (608) 267-6767.
Sincerely,
David A. Stella
Secretary
Employee Trust Fund
Karen E. Timberlake
Secretary
Department of Health Services
Referred to committee on Health and Healthcare Reform.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
Madison
June 2, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
I am pleased to present to you, for distribution to the Wisconsin Assembly, the annual evaluation report on the Pretrial Intoxicated Driver Intervention Grant Program. It will also be available on our website in the near future at dot.wisconsin.gov/library/publications/topic/safety.htm. The program, created by section 86.53 Wis. Stats., was established by the legislature in 1997 with the requirement that the Department study its impact and report on its findings.
The Pretrial Intoxicated Driver Intervention Grant Program is intended for offenders who are arrested for their second or subsequent OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) offense. Offender participation may be voluntary or court ordered. It is an intervention model designed to get offenders into counseling, treatment and supervision as soon as possible after the arrest. The program is individual to each community.
Overall, offenders who successfully completed the program were less likely than non-participants to be re-arrested for subsequent OWI violations. Those who were re-arrested went significantly longer between arrests than nonparticipants.
I commend those people who have dedicated themselves to making this innovative program a success. There are no "silver bullets" in eradicating impaired driving, but I feel this effort is a vital piece in the total transportation safety effort.
Sincerely,
Major Daniel W. Lonsdorf
Director, Bureau of Transportation Safety
Referred to committee on Transportation.
__________________
A991
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
June 10, 2010
