Behavioral health IT pilots to focus on data exchange

The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology announced the selection of nine pilots as part of the Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative to help improve behavioral health data exchange across care settings. The BHIT Initiative is a $20 million effort led by ASTP/ONC in coordination with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support standard data elements and foster data exchange. The pilots, which will be completed by the end of this year, will be used to inform future standards, technical specifications, guidance and policy considerations. The pilots span across 45 exchange partners and eight states and Washington, D.C. The states are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon and Rhode Island