eHealth Initiative Holds Annual Meeting-New Officers Named & 2006 Strategic Focus Set
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Karla Hurter |
December 2, 2005 |
eHealth Initiative Names Officers, Sets Course for Coming Year
December 2, 2005 Washington, D.C. — Unprecedented growth in the interest in improving healthcare through health information exchange and technology in states and local communities in 2005 mirrored rapid growth in membership of the nation's top organization committed to use of health information technology to drive improvement in the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare.The independent, non-profit eHealth Initiative (eHI) whose members represent clinicians, consumer groups, employers and healthcare purchasers, health plans, healthcare IT suppliers, hospitals and other providers, laboratories, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and public health agencies who are interested in mobilizing information to support improvements in healthcare, held its annual meeting this week at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC, reviewing the accomplishments of 2005 and plotting a course for the coming year.
In 2005 eHI's diverse membership base grew by 50 percent over 2004 and it rapidly built a coalition of stakeholders engaged in over 200 state, regional and community-based health information exchange efforts across the U.S.
"Interest in driving improvements in healthcare through health information exchange is at an all-time high but stakeholders need support in getting there." said Janet Marchibroda, chief executive of eHI. "Our efforts in 2006 will continue to focus on driving policy changes and developing tools, deploying resources, and disseminating knowledge at the community, state and regional levels to support the rapid acceleration of these efforts--aligning national standards and multi-stakeholder developed-common principles with local efforts."
The membership unanimously approved the organization's new leadership for the coming year. Francois de Brantes, program leader, healthcare initiatives for General Electric is the organization's newly elected President and John Glaser, PhD, vice president and chief information officer, Partners Healthcare System moves into the position of President-Emeritus and Chair of eHealth Initiative. Also approved were President of the eHealth Foundation John Tooker, MD, MBA, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American College of Physicians; Secretary, eHealth Initiative and Foundation Rachel Block, director of the quality strategies initiative at the United Hospital Fund; and Treasurer, eHealth Initiative and Foundation Robert D. Marotta, Esq., senior vice president and regulatory counsel, Emdeon Corporation.
During the meeting de Brantes reinforced the importance of eHI's continued guidance and leadership for community and state health information exchange efforts seeking a voice for advocacy, knowledge about best practices, funding or grant opportunities and hands-on help.
"eHI and its Foundation's goal for 2006 is to consolidate its position as the go-to resource for any state or community effort that wants to create a sustainable health information exchange," said de Brantes. "In partnership with leading organizations throughout the country, over the coming year we will demonstrate the viability of these exchanges to support the transformation of care in America and enable the delivery of safe, timely, effective, and efficient patient-centered care."
In his remarks, outgoing eHI Chairman Herbert Pardes, MD, president and chief executive officer, New York-Presbyterian Hospital offered an overview of eHI’s key accomplishments for 2005.
Among the key accomplishments of the eHealth Initiative and its Foundation described included:
- Multi-stakeholder consensus on a wide range of principles and policies for improving healthcare through health information exchange, including those related to financing and incentives;
- Rapid expansion of a growing coalition of stakeholders involved in over 200 health information exchange efforts across the country;
- Provision of seed funding to “learning laboratories” in a number of communities in the U.S.; and
- The release of a number of tools and resources designed to help stakeholders involved in communities, states and regions throughout the U.S. transform healthcare using health information exchange and HIT.
"People know that this is an organization that makes things happen, and they want to be a part of it," Pardes said.
"This has been a landmark year for eHI," said Glaser. "Our research, education and coalition-building efforts have stimulated a significant amount of movement in communities across the U.S., laying the foundation for the rapid acceleration of these efforts in 2006." eHI’s expanding set of tools for community health information exchange will help these initiatives mature and overcome some of the most daunting challenges that stand in the way of their success.
About eHealth Initiative
The eHealth Initiative and its Foundation are independent, non-profit affiliated organizations whose missions are the same: to drive improvements in the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. For more information, go to http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/.
