# Presentation: 435444

## American Health

**Information Community Successor Public Meeting**
**August 17, 2007**

## Agenda 

- 10:00 a.m.    **Call to Order**
**	**Robert M. Kolodner, M.D., National Coordinator
- 10:05 a.m.    **AHIC Successor Organization: Background & Overview**
- 	Robert M. Kolodner, M.D., National Coordinator
- 10:15 a.m.    **Introductory Comments **
**	**Secretary Michael O. Leavitt
- 10:30 a.m.**    Q&A Session**
- 	Secretary Michael O. Leavitt
- 11:15 a.m.    **Break**
- 11:30 a.m.    **Roadmap for AHIC Successor**
- 	Robert M. Kolodner, M.D., National Coordinator
- 12:00 p.m.    **Q&A Session**
- 12:45 p.m.    **Adjourn**

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

**Notes:**
Rob’s talking points from Ginger

## American Health

**Information Community Successor**
**Background & Overview**

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## American Health Information Community

- A federal advisory body chartered in 2005 to make recommendations to the Secretary of the HHS on how to accelerate the development and adoption of health information technology
- Charter provides that the AHIC will develop and advance recommendations to the Secretary on a private-sector health information community initiative that will succeed the AHIC
- Succession is planned to occur by late Fall 2008

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## The AHIC Successor – why it is needed

- Adoption of interoperable health IT is critical to realizing improvements in quality, safety, and efficiency in the health system
- National leadership is needed to maintain the current momentum toward achieving interoperability
- HHS Secretary is poised to recognize 30 interoperability standards harmonized through the work of HITSP
- HHS Secretary has recognized the CCHIT, which has certified over 80 ambulatory EHR products
- NHIN is moving from concept to trial implementation stage
- Transitioning the locus of leadership from a Federal advisory committee to an independent public-private partnership is intended to provide a results-oriented, inclusive trusted forum for achieving interoperability across the health care system

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## AHIC Successor - Principles for Governance

- The entity should exist for the purpose of individual/ consumer benefit
- The entity should establish and enhance trust among stakeholders
- The entity should have broad participation across the health care industry stakeholders
- The governing bodies of the entity should have necessary authority to make decisions, but only the authority that is necessary to do this
- The entity should be feasible to establish and operate, and sustainable into the future
- The entity should be adaptable over time and across future circumstances

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## AHIC Successor – Key Attributes 

**Vision** is to create and use a secure interoperable nationwide health information system
**Membership** is open to all relevant and affected parties and might be organized into member sectors
**Governance **methods equitably represent all members
**Rights and obligations** clearly defined
**Protections and incorporation** carefully implemented
**Management and staff **of the highest caliber and structured to support success

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## AHIC Successor - Early Success Factors

- Continued strong Federal government participation
- Nationally recognized leader seen as an honest broker by a wide constituency of the health community
- Will attract other outstanding leadership and staff
- Will engender trust needed to build a membership base
- Clearly articulated list of activities for the first two years
- Adequate public and private resources needed to meet the short and mid-term goals
- Broad participation and commitment from public and private sectors

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## AHIC Successor - Process  

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Two year grant project period
First 12-month funding for
Stage 1- Design and Establish 
Stage 2- Operation of new legal entity
Substantive role for HHS across the grant period
Collaborate to design and build the successor organization
Participate as member of new legal entity

- Two year grant project period
- First 12-month funding for
- Stage 1- Design and Establish
- Stage 2- Operation of new legal entity
- Substantive role for HHS across the grant period
- Collaborate to design and build the successor organization
- Participate as member of new legal entity

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## American Health

**Information Community Successor**
**Implementation ****Roadmap**

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Two year grant project period
First 12-month funding for
Stage 1- Design and Establish 
Stage 2- Operation of new legal entity
Substantive role for HHS across the grant period
Collaborate to design and build the successor organization
Participate as member of new legal entity

- Two year grant project period
- First 12-month funding for
- Stage 1- Design and Establish
- Stage 2- Operation of new legal entity
- Substantive role for HHS across the grant period
- Collaborate to design and build the successor organization
- Participate as member of new legal entity

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Grant Facts

| Grantor | Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT |
| --- | --- |
| Grant Period | Two years from time of award; includes two budget periods (Anticipated Nov. 2007 – Oct. 2009) |
| Grant Type | Cooperative Agreement |
| Grant Value | Up to $13,000,000 over two years |
| Funding Number | HHS-ONC-07-001   |
| Close Date | October 5, 2007 |
| Eligible Applicants | Unrestricted |
| Purpose | Design, establish, and operate the American Health Information Community successor  |

- _http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppId=15164&mode=VIEW_

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Grant Scope and Stages

**Stage 1** - To facilitate collaboration among public and private representatives to design and establish a new stable entity focused on nationwide health IT interoperability
- The design and establishment stage expected to be completed within four months
**Stage 2** - To operate the AHIC successor consistent with the design and resulting bylaws for an initial period of operation that will result in a stable, self-sustaining operation
- The initial period of operation must commence by March/April of 2008 to provide adequate opportunity for overlap of the current AHIC and the AHIC successor

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Stage 1 Design and Establishment - Specifics

- Design an **organizational structure** addressing governance, membership, operational structure, and the roles and responsibilities of officers and members
- Develop **bylaws **as well as initial policies and procedures
- Execute a certificate of **incorporation**
**Populate a board** with a balanced yet broad representation from the health community
- Articulate a three-year organization **development plan** that describes the strategic direction
- Identify candidates for **key management positions**
**Recruit members** for the AHIC successor beyond the initial planning board members;
- Draft an **outreach plan** to ensure recruitment of broad-based membership
- Draft a **business plan** to obtain financial sustainability in alignment with the organization development plan
- Acquire adequate additional **financial resources**
- Analyze current AHIC activities and **identify actions to be transferred from AHIC** to the new organization and a plan for the transition of these activities by late Fall 2008

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Stage 2 Initial Operation

- Focus is on achieving interoperability
- Early operational activities will be better defined during the design process, but will include:
- Prioritize stakeholder requirements for nationwide health IT interoperability
- Accelerate and coordinate current AHIC interoperability initiatives including standards harmonization and certification of health IT
- Advance the harmonization of technology standards and policies, including those to protect confidentiality, privacy, and security
- Advance the certification of products, network participants, and/or operations

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Grantee Responsibilities

- Convene a planning board, design, and establish the AHIC successor
- Strong facilitation of the planning board
- Executive oversight of design process, staff, and deliverables
- Thought leadership to bring people together and encourage them to coalesce around the common cause
- Domain expertise with deep understanding of the national health IT agenda, HITSP, CCHIT, competing interests, and organizational design related to public-private partnerships
- Ability to provide business acumen and strategic direction

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## ONC Responsibilities

- Consultation and technical assistance in planning, operating, and evaluating the design activities
- Provision of information about AHIC and ONC programs and contracting activities relevant to the NHIN and interoperability
- Assistance in collaborating with appropriate federal, state and local governmental officials in the formation of the membership and board
- Review of activities and feedback to ensure that objectives and award conditions are being met
- Coordination of AHIC activities to the support optimal use of resources and expertise during transition

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Joint Responsibilities

- The grantee, jointly with ONC, will propose an AHIC successor planning board, to perform in the role of an interim governance body
- Composed of up to twelve nationally or regionally recognized leaders, including government representatives
- The government representatives will be coordinated through ONC
- Each with a reputation as a fair and balanced representative, the ability to build membership, and the time to actively work on the design issues

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Evaluation Criteria

- Demonstrates an understanding of the national health IT agenda
- Fair, balanced approach to the design that allows for appropriate expert and government input
- Multi-stakeholder participation throughout the process of designing and establishing the successor entity
- Capacity and resources to convene and disseminate information
- Quality of proposed staffing and proposed organization arrangements
- Adequacy and appropriateness of overall budget and the allocation of resources

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*

## Grant Process and Timeline

- Notice of Funding Availability is posted on Grants.gov
- Technical assistance conference providing additional detail will be held in DC on September 5, 2007, and via web cast
- A Letter of Intent is encouraged by ONC, to be submitted by September 15, 2007
- Applications must be received by ONC by October 5, 2007, by 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time
- Applications will be reviewed beginning October 8, 2007
- Award expected on or before November 13, 2007

*American Health Information Community Successor Public Meeting August 17, 2007*