Partnership for Connecting Communities

History and Background of the Connecting Communities Program

The eHealth Initiative Foundation's Partnership for Connecting Communities Program builds upon eHI's Connecting Communities for Better Health Program which was launched in 2003, with $11 million in funding support. Through the Connecting Communities program, eHI has engaged a coalition of more than 200 state and community leaders across the U.S. to share learnings and best practices; launched a series of national and local learning forums; conducted research and developed a model on value and sustainability; developed and disseminated numerous tools and guides designed to support health information exchange; launched an eHI Connecting Communities Toolkit; and funded 12 "learning laboratories" which have tested and evaluated the use of health IT to address current health care issues.

The next phase of the Connecting Communities Program, embodied in the Partnership, is focused on one of the most significant challenges for those involved in health information exchange-assessing value and creating a sustainable business model for improving health and health care through health information exchange. The Partnership for Connecting Communities for Better Health Program will continue to support and accelerate the private and secure mobilization of health information electronically across the health care system to address current health care challenges related to quality, safety and efficiency, by conducting research and testing the feasibility and value of using electronic health information to support a range of existing health care needs that are currently absorbing significant costs within the health care system--thereby creating a set of near-term "business cases" for the use of electronic health information. A set of tools and guides addressing the financial, technical, legal and organizational aspects of using electronic health information to address current health care improvement areas will support rapid replication of successful strategies across multiple markets and communities.