ATLANTA (January 7, 2009) – A new state website gives Georgians access to the latest healthcare quality, cost and health education information. In response to 2007 legislation championed by Georgia State Senator Judson Hill (R-Marietta) and after much hard work, the Department of Community Health (DCH) announced the launch of GeorgiaHealthInfo.gov Monday as a resource to help Georgians make educated health decisions.
Senator Hill, a leading state healthcare reform advocate, passed the legislation giving Georgians access to both price and quality information about healthcare and prescription drug prices. Working as a member of the Department of Community Health’s (DCH) Health Information Technology and Transparency (HITT) Advisory Board, Senator Hill helped guide the website’s core design. The HITT Board has utilized Senator Hill’s experience and track record of healthcare improvement initiatives in its effort to establish a statewide strategy to make health information transparent and readily available.
“Every Georgian has the right to know the quality and costs of healthcare. This website is an exciting step toward making healthcare more accessible and affordable by making available information like prescription drug prices plus easy access to the quality of care provided in hospitals and surgery centers.” said Senator Hill. “Every Georgian needs to know about this website so they can make the best informed decision as they seek healthcare for their families.”
The new website is being launched in two phases during 2009, with the first phase accessible now. It enables a person to search pharmacies by zip code to determine the best price for prescription drugs, offers quality assessments for medical facilities and provides easy access to the Mayo Clinic’s vast health education database. The Mayo database gives users access to prevention, wellness, and disease management information plus cost and quality analysis for healthcare plans, prescription drugs, local hospitals and outpatient procedures. In addition, an online mapping tool is offered to help patients find a medical provider’s location and driving directions.
The second phase of the website will include extensive provider profile data and user support for deciding on long-term care options. Both phases of the website will be fully operational by this summer.
This website launch is one of Senator Hill’s accomplishments to improve healthcare during his time in the Georgia Senate. In 2008 Senator Hill authored and successfully passed the nation’s first patient-centered prevention-focused free market healthcare reform legislation making healthcare and insurance more affordable for Georgia’s working families. Several of his healthcare bills have been adopted by national associations as model legislation. Lt. Governor Casey Cagle appointed Senator Hill chairman of the Senate Healthcare Transformation Study Committee, responsible for creating and perfecting policy to help make healthcare and health insurance more accessible and affordable for every Georgian.
For general questions about GeorgiaHealthInfo.gov, call the DCH Office of Communications at (404) 657-9918. For more specific questions, go to http://georgiahealthinfo.gov/cms/contact_us.
Sen. Judson Hill serves as Chairman of Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee and the Republican Caucus Vice Chairman. He represents the 32nd Senate District which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0150 or by e-mail at judson.hill@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber,Director
Matt Colvin, Communications Associate
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028