Planning for PHIN Certification: A Small State's Experience

In the spring of 2008 the State of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) partnered with HLN Consulting, LLC (HLN) to study the current level of compliance with PHIN 2.0 requirements. The primary objective of this project was to deliver a gap analysis for PHIN compliance, and a roadmap for the State to begin to close that gap. The roadmap provides not only tactical advice - recommendations for replacing or enhancing high priority systems, for example - but also strategic advice, including high-level principles for architecture and security to help ensure that the State's investments in technology meet long-term goals. Together, HLN and NH conducted interviews and collected extensive information about the current state of PHIN-related systems and other systems operating in NH DHHS. This information was collected on a project website available to all participants. A gap analysis was then performed against draft PHIN 2.0 requirements and a set of recommendations were provided in a detailed report. Critical to this project was formal knowledge transfer from HLN to NH concerning methodology and tools used in the study for the State's use later. In addition, as a small state with limited resources and staff, NH has to choose carefully where it makes investments in systems and technology. This project provided guidance for the state in weighing its needs for PHIN compliance in the context of a more global systems and technical architecture plan in preparation for its upcoming budget cycle. The authors believe that other states can learn from this approach and that it can serve as a blueprint for analysis elsewhere in the country.