Related Initiatives

Other Connectivity Initiatives

National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII)

All Projects

National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII)

National Data Exchange Efforts in the United States

National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII)
aspe.hhs.gov/sp/nhii
The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee and the Institute of Medicine are unified in their belief in the importance of a National Health Information Infrastructure, which is essential to improving patient safety and quality, rapidly detecting bioterrorism and other health threats, and enhancing the efficiency of the health care system.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT)
www.hhs.gov/onchit/
On November 15, 2004, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) issued a Request for Information (RFI) for suggestions on how to achieve widespread interoperability of health information technologies and health information exchange through a National Health Information Network (NHIN). The Consortium submitted the following response in advance of January 18, 2005, the close of the public comment period: view Consortium response (PDF). A report containing over 500 responses was released in June 2005.

This Office was created by an Executive Order of President George W. Bush on April 27, 2004 to spur the development of a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure that can facilitate improvements in safety, quality, efficiency, and care coordination. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson appointed David J. Brailer, MD to be the first National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Visit the website to learn about opportunities for all stakeholders to contribute to an action plan and also to read the Framework for Strategic Action report which was released at the Secretarial Summit on Health Information Technology in Washington, DC in July 2004.

In September 2005, the Foundation of Research and Education (FORE) of American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) issued two reports which the organization prepared under contract to ONCHIT. These reports addressed the use of health information technology (HIT) to "enhance and expand health care anti-fraud activities.

Foundation for eHealth Initiative
ccbh.ehealthinitiative.org/
The Foundation for eHealth Initiative, in cooperation with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) is implementing a $3.86 million grant program to provide seed funding and support to multi-stakeholder collaboratives within communities (both geographic and non-geographic) who are using health information exchange and other IT tools to driveimprovements in healthcare quality, safety and efficiency. The Foundation program, called Connecting Communities for Better Health will not only provide seed funding to a set of communities selected through a competitive process to implement health information exchange, it will also create a learning community network for funded communities as well as other communities and stakeholders interested in health information. exchange. The Consortium's MA-SHARE MedsInfo e-Prescribing Initiative is one of nine communities receiving awards to support demonstration projects to improve connectivity, reduce medical errors, and create more efficient healthcare for patients. Press release about the awarding of grants to nine communities.

Connecting for Health
www.connectingforhealth.org/
Connecting for Health is a public-private collaborative designed to address the barriers to development of an interconnected health information infrastructure. Public and private sector collaboration and committed leadership are essential elements of the Connecting for Health model. The approach is designed to leverage the complementary characteristics and expertise of the public and private sectors and to engage leaders and decision makers to take an action oriented approach. Read the collaborative's Achieving Electronic Connectivity in Healthcare: A Preliminary Roadmap. Connecting for Health was established by the Markle Foundation and receives additional funding and support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.