HR1050 LRB094 19861 DRJ 56997 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Department of Healthcare and Family Services
3 (HFS) currently operates an extremely valuable, productive
4 Datawarehouse, providing the agency with unmatched capability
5 and reliability in understanding its various Medicaid
6 programs; and
 
7     WHEREAS, This comprehensive understanding of the program
8 has allowed the agency to implement program efficiencies worth
9 hundreds of millions of dollars; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Segments of Medicaid as well as other
11 State-operated healthcare programs providing essential
12 benefits to thousands of Illinois citizens and that are,
13 ideally, designed to be interdependent with Medicaid, reside at
14 other State agencies and, unfortunately, operate in almost
15 complete isolation, consequently producing sub-optimal
16 healthcare outcomes for the most chronically ill of Illinois
17 citizens; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Given the current fiscal climate, it is absolutely
19 critical that scarce State dollars be invested as wisely as
20 possible so as to produce optimal health outcomes for Illinois
21 citizens; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Comprehensive information exchange among State
23 agencies allows for better management, leading to better health
24 outcomes and more efficient use of State resources; and
 
25     WHEREAS, To cite a significant example, of the 75,000
26 annual Medicaid births, fully 1/3, that is 25,000, are deemed
27 non-normal; and
 
28     WHEREAS, These 25,000 non-normal births, aside from the
29 onerous toll extracted on the child, cost the State over $200

 

 

HR1050 - 2 - LRB094 19861 DRJ 56997 r

1 million annually; and
 
2     WHEREAS, In this day and age, it is completely unacceptable
3 that 25,000 babies each and every year are subjected to this
4 misery and distress when we already have at our disposal the
5 tools that, properly utilized, would alleviate this tragedy;
6 and
 
7     WHEREAS, Integrating the currently isolated Women, Infants
8 and Children data residing exclusively at the Department of
9 Human Services (DHS) into the Datawarehouse would allow the
10 State to identify and proactively assist these most-at-risk
11 pregnant women; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Such proactive data management, coupled with
13 targeted outreach efforts, may halve the number of non-normal
14 births, thus saving $100 million; and
 
15     WHEREAS, There are dozens of additional examples of
16 currently isolated programs that, if incorporated into the
17 Datawarehouse, would dramatically improve Illinoisan health
18 outcomes while preserving millions of scarce State dollars; and
 
19     WHEREAS, The original vision - and the most logical end -
20 for the Datawarehouse is that of a comprehensive repository
21 allowing for one-stop service, thereby facilitating the most
22 effective and cost-efficient manner of providing healthcare to
23 our clients; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Such an expansion would predominantly be funded by
25 the federal government; and
 
26     WHEREAS, Public Act 94-0267, effective July 19, 2005,
27 mandated an expansion of the Datawarehouse to encompass all
28 other isolated healthcare data sources at DHS and the
29 Department of Public Health, and yet, perplexingly, absolutely

 

 

HR1050 - 3 - LRB094 19861 DRJ 56997 r

1 no movement has been made toward this end; therefore, be it
 
2     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4 owing it to Illinois taxpayers and, most importantly, to the
5 very individuals who rely heavily on all of us in State
6 government, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services
7 shall immediately expand the superlative Datawarehouse,
8 incorporating currently isolated healthcare data residing at
9 other State agencies, so as to effectuate significantly
10 improved health outcomes for the neediest of our citizens; and
11 be it further
 
12     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
13 forwarded to the Director of Healthcare and Family Services and
14 to the Governor.