MaSSSoftech

After playing a major role in elevating health information technology (HIT) into a leadership issue that is widely recognized as fundamental to achieving such national and organizational imperatives as world-class patient care and lower health care costs, the National Alliance for Health Information Technology is ceasing operation on September 30.

"In a few short years, NAHIT has accomplished its mission: HIT has moved front and center in efforts to reinvent and reinvigorate the U. S. health system," says Jane Horowitz, NAHIT chief operating officer. "Going forward, the action is shifting from NAHIT's focus on educating, advocating and building common ground to planning, implementing and using HIT to improving care, safety and efficiency."

"Other organizations are better positioned to help providers with implementation," says Horowitz. "In particular, the American Hospital Association (AHA) has close ties with hospital chief executive officers while the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is the leading industry association for chief information officers. These organizations, both ongoing supporters of NAHIT, understand the tremendous value and need for HIT. They are devoting substantial resources for helping their members realize the potential of HIT and ensuring HIT is embedded in health care reform initiatives. We know that the AHA and CHIME will continue to advance the adoption of HIT."

The picture for HIT was entirely different in 2002, when NAHIT was founded by leaders in all sectors, from providers and insurers to pharmaceutical companies and industry organizations. At the time, IT was a minor player in health care, and there was little to no momentum to harness technology to transform the industry. NAHIT, then, was created to forge consensus and accelerate progress on the use of IT to create the most effective, safe, unified, and inclusive health system possible.

With the expertise and efforts of its members, NAHIT tackled hot-button issues and built a solid track record of leading change. Its accomplishments include:

- Co-founding the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT.)

- Organizing a groundbreaking initiative to identify and coordinate the adoption of standards in the healthcare supply chain by creating the Healthcare Supply Chain Standards Coalition, which it merged with GS1 Healthcare US.

- Developing a consensus-driven definition of interoperability that has been adopted industry-wide and used in proposed legislative language

- Distilling and sharing HIT proven HIT best practices through its web sites, Idea Exchanges, Virtual Idea Exchanges, books, and host of other venues, and publishing Best Practices for Management and Board Collaboration in Health IT Adoption and Rules of Engagement: Proven Paths for Instilling, then Installing CPOE.

- Creating and maintaining the first directory of health IT standards, which it made public, and then donating the directory content to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

- Leading a successful effort to gain industry consensus on the use of bar codes for identifying medication, which shaped the final regulations from the Food and Drug Administration.

- Spearheading for the Office of National Coordinator development of consensus-based definitions for key healthcare information technology terms with the goal of furthering healthcare information technology adoption and the exchange of health information.

- Advocating for a voluntary and flexible system of unique patient identifiers.

Source
The National Alliance for Health Information Technology