IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Telehealth systems link patients to their health-care providers through the Internet using devices capable of transmitting data digitally. Patients can also access their medical record providing greater participation in their own health care.

The Vermont Criminal Information Center (VCIC), a program of the Criminal Justice Services of the Vermont Department of Public Safety, announced today that they have launched a new service that allows citizens and businesses to retrieve Vermont criminal conviction records over the Internet. The service is available through the state’s official Web site, www.vermont.gov.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas today toured the Rutland Regional Medical Center’s emergency department to see the new service in action, and to highlight the role of information technology in improving health care quality and controlling costs.

In the keynote address at a technology conference sponsored by Governing Magazine today, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas is highlighting the role of technology in reducing health care costs and promoting Vermont’s initiative to become the first state to offer residents universal access to quality data and cellular voice coverage and high-speed broadband technology—a goal Douglas says can be achieved by 2010.

VITL, a nonprofit public-private partnership sponsored by the state government, issued a request for information inviting EHR vendors to describe their products for possible inclusion in a list of approved EHR systems for use by the state’s small, independent medical practices.

By entering a few of the man's personal details into the computer, hospital personnel were able to pull up his prescription history and treat him more efficiently, she continued.

The service allows citizens to pay for vital records by from any computer with an Internet connection. Vital records include birth, death, marriage, divorce, civil union, and civil union dissolution certificates.

The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) today announced the launch of a new online service at that allows suspended drivers to pay their license reinstatement fees online. Now, citizens across the state can reinstate their driver’s license from the convenience of their own home or any computer with an Internet connection.

Commissioner of Economic, Housing and Community Development Tayt Brooks said that as of August 2, owners of mobile home parks in Vermont are now able to complete a required annual registration online.

“This is another example of how we are using technology to be more efficient in state government,” Brooks said. “Eliminating the paper involved in filing these reports makes the process faster, less costly, and less time-consuming for both the applicant and our staff.”

In addition the Vermont Council for Rural Development has requested $2.5 million for a sustainable broadband adoption program to help assure that Vermonters in 24 pilot communities have the equipment, training, and motivation to use broadband. The Vermont Center for Geographic Information has applied for a $1.96 million grant to continue and extend Vermont’s broadband mapping effort. The Department of Libraries has applied for 80% stimulus funding of $754,000 for a public computing center project to assure that computers are available in selected libraries for those who do not yet have equipment or broadband connections available at home.

Governor Jim Douglas celebrated the State’s ranking as one of the ten best government portals and websites in the nation by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government. This is the second year in a row that the Vermont Information Consortium (VIC), the State’s web portal vendor, has received this recognition. The Digital Government Achievement Awards (DGAA) go to outstanding websites and web portals at the state, county and city levels.

Vermont wants to get the majority of its health care providers using electronic medical records in the next five years and has unveiled a road map to help that happen.

The plan, developed by the Vermont Information Technology Leaders, or VITL, a nonprofit private-public organization, was submitted to the state's legislative body and several state agencies this week.

Joanna Cummings of the Snelling Center for Government appeared on The :30. The Snelling Center is one of several groups that make up the e-Vermont Community Broadband Project.

The project is a 2-year funded effort that is working in 24 selected towns in Vermont to assist with technical education and help citizens bring more internet technology to their town. It includes rural towns that are underserved by broadband and helping towns to improve their e-government presence.

Owner Rex Bence says the cafe is one of only three places in town with high-speed Internet access.

"If you get Internet through the telephone or even through satellite, it's extremely slow," Bence said. "The state keeps saying it's going to get done, but there's a lot of frustration."

Vermont's rugged terrain and low population density leave an estimated 15-20 percent of the population without access to high-speed Internet.

Nevertheless Vermont organizations managed to file a set of applications which, if funded in the entirety, will leave less than 10,000 homes out of 242,000 without access to broadband AND will give us a very good start on attacking other obstacles to broadband use like lack of computers, training or money. The goal of SmartVermont, our overall plan for discretionary stimulus money, is not just universal broadband availability; it's universal adoption so that applications like e-health, e-education, and e-energy (smart grid) can depend on broadband connections in every Vermont building on the electrical grid.

“With more than a half million renewals online, and almost 100,000 more processed through IVR (phone) and kiosks, we have made great strides in providing Vermont drivers with alternative ways to renew their vehicles - whether, cars, boats, or snowmobiles,” said Robert Ide, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles.

“We’re extremely excited to be ranked among the top 10 state government websites in the country,” said Governor Jim Douglas. “When we embarked on the website portal project in 2006, one of our main goals was to try to unite Vermonters with state government through a stronger web presence. Today, we are proud to offer Vermont.gov visitors access to many new and exciting features and technologies and look forward to offering even more in the coming years.”

The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis will share veterans’ health records (EHRs) electronically with private clinics who are members of the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE), the large Indiana e-health hub, according to an Aug. 24 VA announcement.

Current users of My HealtheVet will need to re-register to access their personal records. Through the re-registration process, VA will create a new user database, requiring more information to improve account reporting and data security.