About: Letter from eHealth Initiative Leadership

On behalf of eHealth Initiative’s leadership, we are delighted to share with you the results of a six-month collaborative process which has culminated in the development of the eHealth Initiative Blueprint: Building Consensus for Common Action, representing multi-stakeholder consensus on a shared vision and a set of principles, strategies and actions for improving health and healthcare through information and information technology.

This inclusive, collaborative, multi-stakeholder process has involved nearly 200 organizations including clinicians, consumer groups, employers, health plans, health IT suppliers, hospitals and other providers, laboratories, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, public health agencies, and state and regional leaders.

In 2001, the eHealth Initiative (eHI) was created to serve as a forum where diverse stakeholders in healthcare could find common ground on ways to drive improvements in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. eHI provides a place where mutual respect for differences is supported by a spirited dialogue aimed at finding consensus on a collective path forward that is responsible, sustainable, and builds and maintains the public’s trust.

In Phase I of the eHI Blueprint, we have advanced these important goals by identifying several areas of consensus that will enable coordinated efforts by healthcare organizations across the nation to improve America’s health and healthcare through health information technology (IT) and health information exchange. The eHI Blueprint principles, strategies and actions fall into five categories: engaging consumers; transforming care delivery; improving population health; aligning financial and other incentives; and managing privacy, security, and confidentiality.

The eHI Blueprint also identifies areas for which there is not broad consensus, where further dialogue is needed. Over the next twelve months, as part of Phase II of the process, eHI will widely disseminate the Blueprint, gaining even further input from a wide variety of stakeholders both at the national and local levels, so that the principles, strategies and actions can continue to be refined. We will encourage national dialogue to reach agreement on those areas for which there is not yet consensus, and contribute significantly to that dialogue as it moves forward. eHI will also support implementation of the recommended actions by appropriate organizations, including eHI. Finally, we plan to take stock of progress against the Blueprint goals by measuring performance each year.

We would like to acknowledge and extend our gratitude to those who contributed their time and energy to the development of this report—especially the eHI Leadership Council; the Blueprint Committee Co-Chairs; the members of each Blueprint Committee; Christine Bechtel, our Vice President of Policy and Government Relations; and a number of members of the staff team and our expert consultants–all of whom contributed a significant amount of time and thought leadership to this endeavor. We are also grateful to those members and organizations that provided feedback on the draft during the vetting process in the summer of 2007.

We invite you to provide feedback to us on the principles, strategies and actions of the eHI Blueprint and also share this work with your colleagues and other stakeholders.

John Tooker, MD, MBA, FACP
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, American College of Physicians
President, eHealth Initiative

Jeffrey Kang, MD, MPH
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CIGNA Healthcare
President, eHealth Initiative Foundation

Janet M. Marchibroda, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
eHealth Initiative and eHealth Initiative Foundation