The eHealth Initiative is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit affiliated organization. Its mission is to drive improvement in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology.
Last Thursday eHealth Initiative released its initial 2020 Roadmap for transforming the health care industry through data exchange and health IT. According to the report, the purpose of the 2020 Roadmap is as follows:
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During eHealth Initiative’s first decade, the collective efforts of many stakeholders have improved healthcare through increased use of technology and data. Since the passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a tremendous amount of money, time and resources has been invested into optimizing the healthcare system in the U.S. However, many stakeholder groups are questioning the direction in which the public and private sectors are currently heading and raising concerns about the slow pace of improving the quality of care and achieving cost reductions. As we look ahead to the next five years, it is critical to reexamine recent policy, innovation and technology efforts and identify the best path forward towards health system delivery transformation.[/content_box]
In the introduction from the report, CEO Jennifer Covich Bordenick tells us from the start what’s in store for us, saying “If you are expecting to find a prescriptive list of answers to mindboggling interoperability dilemmas, you will be greatly disappointed. The 2020 Roadmap is not a set of answers, but rather a framework for discussion about core technology issues.”
The 2020 Roadmap Identifies the top 3 priorities as:
- Interoperability
- Clinical Motivators and Incentives
- Data Access and Use
The report also details eHealth Initiative’s vision for each priority for laying out recommendations for short-term goals, mid-term goals, long-term goals, and Federal policy change priorities.
You can register to download the roadmap.
The three priorities outlined in the report were developed by executives and industry leaders providing feedback through roundtables, webinars and other written comments submitted. The report notes that as expected, consensus was not reached in many areas and further work is needed. eHealth Initiative will launch a series of “Consensus Groups” to dive deeper into each area in 2015.
eHealth Initiative also makes it clear the 2020 Roadmap differs from the ONC’s development of a 10-year interoperability roadmap providing direction for Federal agencies. This 10-year plan is scheduled to be released for comment in January. According to eHealth Initiative, the 2020 Roadmap is a broader plan that “addresses business and clinical motivators, interoperability and data access and use and delves deep into needed private sector transformation.”
While there is overlap in thought leadership between the Roadmaps, eHealth Initaitve says efforts will be made in 2015 to marry the two.