Join us Tomorrow at 1 PM EST in Room W309A at HIMSS19 - Details & RSVP Link HERE
WASHINGTON, DC (February 12, 2019): Health IT Now - a broad-based coalition of patient groups, provider organizations, employers, and payers supporting the use of data and health information technology to improve healthcare - recently announced plans to relaunch on Wednesday, February 13th at HIMSS19 under the name Health Innovation Alliance, with an expanded membership list, new logo, and an updated set of priorities.
The update marks Health IT Now's first set of sweeping changes since it launched as Health IT Now! more than ten years ago under the leadership of current executive director, Joel White, and founding co-chairs former Senator John Breaux (D-LA) and former Congresswoman Nancy Johnson (R-CT).
Since that time, the coalition's membership has swelled to more than 70 organizations - with more to be announced tomorrow - representing a diverse cross-section of industry stakeholders ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies, all while playing an instrumental role in passage of theHITECH Act of 2009, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015, the21st Century Cures Act, and the health IT advances in last year's Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018,to name a few.
RSVP to Health IT Now's relaunch event here and find a sampling of media coverage of the coalition's announcement and plans for HIMSS below:
Politico: "The health IT lobbying shop — for now still known as Health IT Now — is going to unveil a new moniker at HIMSS: the Health Innovation Alliance. Executive Director Joel White and his team of disruptors want to recognize the fact that health IT is increasingly slipping off the surly bonds of meaningful use to touch the face of money; now, focus turns to private-sector cures for interoperability and outcome-oriented reimbursement ... While celebrating the five telemedicine-promoting laws signed last year, the team has plenty of further legislative goals in this one. They include trying to assure that HIPAA modernization and 42CFR Part 2 rule changes are part of any privacy law that comes down the pike, said managing director Jim Bialick." (source)
Becker's Hospital Review: "The advocacy organization Health IT Now has revealed plans to relaunch with a broader focus, and it's changing its name to 'Health Innovation Alliance' to reflect this vision ... As Health IT Now, the group has supported efforts to improve patient care with data and health IT for more than a decade — such as advocating for landmark legislation like the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health, or HITECH, Act. Under the organization's relaunch, the Health Innovation Alliance will add new members, unveil a new logo and update its list of priorities with newfound focus on modernizing HIPAA, promoting patient-centric care and developing an agile regulatory framework." (source)
Healthcare Informatics: "Health IT Now, a coalition of various stakeholders supporting improved health IT, has announced plans to relaunch at HIMSS19 under the name Health Innovation Alliance. The organization recently convened a Congressional briefing entitled 'Health IT 101' where it outlined plans of the relaunch, with an expanded membership list, new logo, and an updated set of priorities. Throughout 2018, at the top of Health IT Now’s priority list has been pushing federal health officials to release the proposed information blocking rule, as required under the 21st Century Cures law ... In part of a statement announcing the change, HITN Executive Director Joel White, noted, 'We have attained 'health IT now,' what we still lack is meaningful innovation in how federal programs harness that technology to lower costs and improve health outcomes.'" (source)
Healthcare Dive: "While Congress has been relatively silent on the health IT front, further action to encourage interoperability, stopping information blocking and perhaps a renewed look at the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act are areas raised by Health IT Now. The trade organization is set to rebrand itself as the Health Innovation Alliance at HIMSS." (source)
Inside Health Policy: "Health IT Now said at a briefing on Tuesday (Jan. 22) that it will focus on modernizing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 2019 ... and aligning the stricter 42 CFR Part 2 privacy scheme with a revamped version of HIPAA ... The health IT advocates hosted a congressional briefing to preview their agenda, as well as plans to relaunch the organization as the Health Innovation Alliance and introduce new members at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in February." (source)