1. (Draft - 8/9/2003) Health Information & Technology Sharing (HITS) Program Office of Information Veterans Health Administration Department of Veterans Affairs

2. Health Informatics Strategy Office Health Information & Technology Sharing (HITS) Program Supporting the HealthePeople Strategy Management Briefing August 2004

3. Mission “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan…” - Abraham Lincoln “To administer the laws providing benefits and other services to veterans and their dependents and the beneficiaries of veterans.” (38 U.S.C.  301(b), 1997)

4. Toward standards & high performance info systems HealthePeople Strategy: Federal Agencies & Nation move to national standards & high performance health info systems (EHR, PHR, HIE) supporting ideal health systems HealthePeople Concept: Collaboratively develop by public & private sectors Support by consumers, providers, payers & regulators Meet consumer, provider, payer & regulator needs Build around achieving national architecture standards for data, communications, security, systems, & technical Build/buy & implement high performance systems Public ownership/sharing of at least one high performance system for special needs populations

5. Health Information Sharing Program Sharing Different Expertise… …To Achieve Common Goals

6. To proactively identify, document, and pursue new opportunities for Interagency collaboration and cooperation in the area of health information technology - HealthePeople. To better leverage and utilize collective resources of collaborating organizations to acquire or develop health information systems. To help foster increased acceptance and support for information systems sharing within the healthcare community. To assist VHA offices in further maximizing the success and value of their health information systems sharing efforts. Health Information & Technology Sharing (HITS) Program - Goals -

7. Health Information Sharing Program - Health Information Sharing Program - Long Range Objectives - l To identify mutually beneficial health information sharing opportunities to be pursued in the following arenas: l OneVA Health Information Sharing l VA/DoD Health Information Sharing l Interagency Health Information Sharing (Federal & State) l Health Community Information Sharing (Non-Government) l International Health Information Sharing Community l To help develop standardized processes within VHA and OI to facilitate and support health information sharing projects and activities. l To maintain an up-to-date repository of national health information systems and major sharing initiatives.

8. Health Information & Technology Sharing (HITS) Program - Organization - Health Information & Technology Sharing (HITS) Program Health Informatics Strategy VHA Office of Information

9. Health Information Sharing Opportunities Standards – collaborate with other agencies and organizations on national health information standards Software - sharing health information systems software between agencies, e.g. VistA and non-VistA software. Data / Information – sharing data or information needed for direct patient care or for research and population studies. Resources – contributing funding or other resources needed to support a mutually beneficial sharing initiative. Expertise / Knowledge – sharing technical expertise or knowledge in the field of healthcare informatics. Health Community Support – sharing key contacts and helping garner support within the healthcare community and other key stakeholders for key initiatives.

10. Health IT Sharing Program Health IT Sharing Program KEY FUNCTIONAL AREAS l HITS Program Management l OneVA Health Information Sharing l VA/DoD Health Information Sharing l Interagency Health Information Sharing (Federal, State, Local, & Tribal Government) l Health Community Information Sharing (Non-Government) l International Health Information Sharing Community

11. Health IT Sharing Program Key Functions & Objectives PLANNING HIGHLIGHTS 2004 - 2005

12. OneVA Health Information Sharing l Maintain active liaison with key personnel and offices across the VA, e.g. VBA, NCA, BVA, OIT, VISNs, VAMCs, etc. l Identify IT contacts, systems, resources, and opportunities for mutually beneficial health IT sharing, e.g. short & long-term. l Bring key contacts in each administration together where possible OneVA health information sharing opportunities exist. l Assist in putting into place the initial agreements needed when initiating health information systems sharing projects. l Track and report on status of OneVA Health Information Sharing projects, e.g. CAPRI, CAPER, VBRS, Veteran Focused Internet, …

13. VA/DoD Health Information Sharing l Maintain active liaison with Health IT counterparts at DoD, e.g. Military Health Service l Provide ongoing coordination and support for the VA/DoD Health Information Sharing program including: ; Joint Health IT operations ; Joint Health IT acquisition/development projects ; Joint Health R&D of emerging information technologies ; Joint Health IT management & planning activities Track and report on the status of health information sharing projects and activities, e.g. PTF, TRACES, LDSI, C/HDR, HER, HealthePeople (Federal),...

14. Interagency Health Information Sharing (Federal/State/Local/Tribal) Health information sharing initiatives with Federal, State and Tribal governments include :  Sharing health information systems software between agencies, e.g. VistA and non-VistA software.  Sharing data or information needed for direct patient care or for research and population studies.  Sharing resources needed to support a new systems development or acquisition project.  Sharing technical expertise or knowledge in the field of healthcare informatics.  Collaborating with other agencies and organizations on national health information standards. Examples: Consolidated Health Informatics (CHI) Federal eGov Initiative, State Veterans Homes and VistA/CPRS, …

15. Health Community Information Sharing (Non-Government) Health information sharing initiatives with local Healthcare Communities and Non-Government Organizations include :  Sharing health information systems software between agencies, e.g. VistA and non-VistA software.  Sharing data or information needed for direct patient care or for research and population studies.  Sharing resources needed to support a new systems development or acquisition project.  Sharing technical expertise or knowledge in the field of healthcare informatics.  Collaborating with other agencies and organizations on national health information standards. Examples: Santa Barbara CDE, Affiliated Medical Schools, Veterans Service Organizations, …

16. International Health Information Sharing Health information sharing initiatives with the International Health/ Informatics Community include :  Sharing health information systems software between agencies, e.g. VistA and non-VistA software.  Sharing data or information needed for direct patient care or for research and population studies.  Sharing resources needed to support a new systems development or acquisition project.  Sharing technical expertise or knowledge in the field of healthcare informatics.  Collaborating with other governments and organizations on national and international health information standards. Examples: Samoa, Mexico, United Kingdom, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Nigeria, World Health Organization (WHO), …

17. HITS Database Innovation and IT Sharing Information VA Open Source Alternatives Information & Technology Sharing IT Innovation Scanning IT Collaborative Development Education Knowledge Xchange DoDInteragency Health Community

18. Health Informatics Strategy VHA Office of Information Health Information & Technology Sharing (HITS) Program “It pays to share.”