Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK – Gov. Mike Beebe today appointed former state Human Services Director Ray Scott of Little Rock to serve as Arkansas’ coordinator for health information technology.

To date, Arkansas has received more than $15 million in health information technology grants as part of the federal stimulus program. The purpose of the grant program is to promote the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health-and-medical records to improve the quality and efficiency of health care.

“The federal HIT funding we have received is merely a down-payment toward a long-term planning-and-development process,” Beebe said. “I have asked Ray to ensure that we make the wisest use of new and existing resources in our state toward the adoption and best use of health-information-technology for our citizens.”

The 62-year-old Scott has worked for 35 years in the health and human services fields, having served in the administrations of seven Arkansas governors, including a stint as director of the state Department of Human Services. He also was former U.S. Sen. David Pryor’s chief of staff during Pryor’s first term in the U.S. Senate.

The State HIT coordinator will work with grant recipients and with leaders in the health-and-information communities in Arkansas to coordinate the planning and development of health-information-technology solutions.

Prior to his return to public service, Scott served as a program and policy consultant to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.