Nursing Input Needed for American Health Information Community (AHIC) Successor: Friday, 17 Aug 2007

[rnformatics]

Originally Posted by Robin Raiford

Now is your chance to get involved --- there is a KEY public comment meeting scheduled for this Friday, August 17th - see register link below - no fee, just asked to pre register. Meeting on transitioning AHIC to the AHIC Success which Secretary Leavitt is calling "AHIC 2.0"

There is a HUGE VOID in lack of nurses showing up for AHIC meetings. This is the committee SHAPING what goes into electronic healthcare records. In a room of 200 people, there might only be 3-4 nurses present. Not because they are not invited, because they don't show up. Don't let nursing voice be left out due to no participation.

AHIC Successor Public Meeting

A public information meeting will be held on Friday August 17, 2007, to discuss how interested parties can participate in the design and establishment of the AHIC successor.

A Notice of Funding Availability (NoFA) to resource an entity designated to design and establish the AHIC successor by Spring 2008 will be issued in August and a grant will be awarded this Fall. In early September 2007, another public meeting will be held to answer detailed questions related to the Notice of Funding Availability.

Date: August 17, 2007

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Eastern
If you will be attending in person, you are invited to remain after the meeting to meet fellow attendees.

Location:
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Ave., SW, Room 800
Washington, DC 20201

Alternatively, the public may participate remotely via the Web. The webcast will be available via the NIH Web site at NIH VideoCasting on the day of the meeting.

Health Information Technology

Robin Raiford, RN BC CPHIMS FHIMSS
Director, Government Initiatives, Solutions Management Group
CHAIR HIMSS Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes Committee
Member - CCHIT Child Health Expert Panel

Here is a little more info on AHIC and its purpose:

From: DRAFT White Paper - American Health Information Community Successor
White Paper
American Health Information Community Successor
July 2007

Introduction

American Health Information Community

The American Health Information Community (AHIC) is a federal advisory body chartered in 2005 to make recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on how to accelerate the development and adoption of health information technology. The advisory nature of AHIC and its Workgroups has been invaluable in creating a forum to seek input and guidance to understand key issues and policy implications necessary to achieve President Bush's goal for most Americans to have access to secure electronic health records by 2014.

The AHIC charter requires responsibilities to be transferred to a successor. Therefore, the AHIC is embarking upon a project that will take the Community to the next level. The AHIC successor will be an independent and sustainable public-private partnership bringing together the best attributes and resources of public and private entities. This new public-private partnership will develop a unified approach to realize an effective, interoperable nationwide health information system[FN1] that supports the health and well-being of individuals and communities in the U.S.

This white paper describes the vision for and attributes of a successor to the American Health Information Community (AHIC). Specifically, it describes the purpose and scope of a successor entity, presents governance and operating objectives, and highlights several legal considerations associated with the formation of the AHIC successor.[FN2]
The AHIC seeks public comment on the contents of this white paper. Specific instructions for providing comments are available on the AHIC successor web page: Health Information Technology.

Recognizing that interoperability is critical to realizing both improvements in quality and efficiency in the U.S. health system, and understanding the importance of continuity of leadership to maintaining the AHIC’s momentum toward achieving interoperability, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will engage with the private sector to seamlessly transition the locus of activity from a Federal advisory committee to an independent public-private partnership that is focused on achieving interoperability across the health care system.

Between now and the Spring of 2008, AHIC members and AHIC Workgroups will continue efforts to identify obstacles to the adoption of interoperable health information technology (IT) and make specific recommendations to the Secretary of (HHS). At the same time, HHS has embarked upon an effort that will take AHIC to the next level by facilitating the development of an independent public-private partnership that is results-oriented, inclusive, and coordinated with quality and transparency initiatives. The new entity will build on the AHIC achievements and will require exceptional leadership as well as a broad base of both public and private support to realize the vision of an interoperable health care system.

The AHIC successor will bring together both public and private, not-for-profit and for-profit entities that represent all sectors of the health community. It is essential that the Federal government play a substantial role in order to accelerate the emergence of an interoperable nationwide health information system. Designing and establishing an AHIC successor is neither an effort to privatize the role of AHIC, nor is it Federal Government preemption. Instead, it is an effort to establish a balanced, effective, public-private collaboration among organizations and individuals in all sectors of the health community.

If you have the time, please participate in this public meeting so that Nursing will be well represented!