"White space" is a moniker used in Web design, decorating, broadband allocation and many other disciplines. When discussing economic development, white space indicates underserved areas where unmet needs create opportunities for innovation.
The Affordable Care Act has provided funds for states to expand their Medicaid programs so that more people are insured. Illinois and Texas are examples of two states with very different white space strategies for healthcare.
The Illinois Office of Health Information Technology has developed the White Space Grant Program to provide funding that addresses technologically underserved parts of the state. Governor Pat Quinn announced that $1.3 million in White Space Grants had been awarded in December 2012.
At that time, Chicago-based Heartland Health Outreach (HHO) received $500,000 for health information technology (HIT) improvements in underserved areas.
Currently, HHO focuses on delivering affordable, high-quality healthcare to underserved populations throughout Illinois. The point of the new funding is to connect community health centers and small physician practices with the state health information exchange (HIE).
HHO estimates that the grant will help 1,600 providers to develop their electronic medical records (EMR) initiatives and to connect to the exchange. According to the Illinois (HIE), over $500 million in federal money has been given to 16,224 Illinois physicians for EMR development as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Texas, on the other hand, is addressing its healthcare white spaces in a different way: by setting up a secure, HIPAA-compliant messaging service. Texas white space strategy implements federal Direct Project standards.
Instead of creating an information exchange portal, the Direct Project enables providers in rural areas to securely e-mail patient charts, lab results and other data to other medical practices. \
Essentially, it's one step above faxing or mailing charts to other medical providers.
While the Direct solution, as one healthcare information officer said, is "dirt cheap," it's not hugely practical for large hospitals dealing with many patients. It's also not useful in emergency situations in which providers need to pull all existing charts to deliver rapid treatment.
In addition, the Direct Project only meets Phase 1 Meaningful Use requirements. Most states, by this time, have moved on to Phase 2.
Currently, Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured Americans in the nation. Despite editorials in major newspapers, and calls from large chambers of commerce around Texas, Governor Rick Perry has refused to accept funds for Medicaid expansion in the state.
Illinois and Texas are two states with two very different white space strategies. The two cases demonstrate clearly that when politicians like Perry refuse to help underserved areas, the patients will ultimately pay the price.
Edited by
Braden Becker
