HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Tuesday released a timeline for transitioning the American Health Information Community from a government advisory group into an independent, private "leadership entity" by January 2009, Health IT Strategist reports.
Leavitt's plan calls for developing a successor organization to AHIC that will serve as a "voluntary public-private partnership" to lead national health IT efforts that are "standards-based and interoperable while ensuring that health information is protected and portable," according to HHS.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT in April hired three consulting firms of varying sizes -- Alchemy, Avalere Health and Booz Allen Hamilton -- for about $100,000 each to develop business models for the AHIC successor. ONCHIT this month will evaluate the plans and identify the most viable elements and practices, Health IT Strategist reports.
Public comment will be accepted from July 2 to July 20 and will be included in a prototype, which will be presented to and analyzed by AHIC members in August and September.
A final prototype and transition plan will be unveiled at AHIC's Sept. 18 meeting, and the successor organization in the fall will be established and start operating, according to Leavitt's plan.
An interim board will be selected in early 2008 and a permanent board will be named by January 2009, according to the news release (Robeznieks, Health IT Strategist, 6/12).