On February 12, the State of Oregon was one of 40 states and state-designated entities notified that they had received funding through the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program (HIE.)

This funding was authorized by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The goals of the program are to facilitate and expand the secure, electronic movement and use of health information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards, with a long-term goal of nationwide Health Information Exchange (HIE) and interoperability.

This is a key component of a federal commitment to HIE as part of an overall strategy to improve healthcare quality and lower costs.

Establishing a system of health information exchange in Oregon will help meet the health reform goals as defined in HB2009. HB2009 established the Health Information Technology Oversight Council (HITOC). The HITOC, within the Oregon Health Authority, will coordinate Oregon's public and private statewide efforts in electronic health records adoption and the development of a statewide system for HIE.