Dear NHIT Colleagues:

One year ago, the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT) adopted a Strategic Planning Framework to guide NHIT’s work through 2012. With the active support and commitment of NHIT partners – individuals and organizations – together we have made substantial progress in implementing the goals outlined in that document. Here are key accomplishments to date!

• Goal 1 commits NHIT to represent the needs of the underserved, with an emphasis on communities of color, and those who care for them. Our advocacy efforts include testimony before ONC, submission of comments to CMS on proposed meaningful use regulations, meetings with Dr. David Blumenthal and other ONC representatives, and two Congressional briefings. NHIT partners, including Russell Davis, Shelia Dean, Garth Graham, Joyce Hunter, Kinte Ibbott, Diane Jones, Brenda Leath, Neal Neuberger, Arnol Simmons and members of the Policy Taskforce played key roles.

  A key NHIT current activity related to this goal is a pilot project which addresses the needs of providers in communities of color in three states – California, Florida and Georgia. Through NHIT’s HI-Touch Program, PMO representatives and strategic partners are working with cooperating Regional Extension Centers to support their outreach efforts. With the lessons learned from this pilot, to be completed by the end of 2010, NHIT anticipates that HI-Touch will be expanded across the nation. NHIT partners have played critical roles and include David Dietz, Clyde Penn, Andrea Pennington, Rochelle Rollins, Kathy Sakraida, Joyce Hunter, and Kathie Westpheling. Partnering organizations include Ingenix, Kaiser Permanente, LISTA, National Council of Asian and Pacific Islander Physicians, National Hispanic Medical Association, Medic Success, Morehouse College of Medicine, Pristine Technology Solutions and US Canada International.

  NHIT partners working on workforce development and training have also been active. They are providing leadership for several initiatives, including an NHIT Health IT Roundtable Discussion. NHIT will soon post interviews conducted by partners with safety net providers who have addressed workforce needs in creative ways. Brian Foley, Kathie Westpheling, Jeff Caballero, Anna Gard and Gerri Hofler have played key roles in these efforts.

• NHIT’s Goal 2 calls for the establishment of strategic partnerships involving public, private and community stakeholders. In addition to partners named above, other national partners include the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Internet Innovation Alliance, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Health Policy Institute.
• Goal 3 requires NHIT to engage consumers from NHIT’s populations of focus regarding the benefits of HIT, using culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies. In addition to the Teach-Ins in Atlanta and Los Angeles, attended by substantial numbers of consumers and consumer advocates, NHIT representatives have made presentations at meetings that include those convened by The Brookings Institution, HIMSS, Drexel University, Kaiser Permanente, e-Health Initiative, National Association of Health Services Executives, the Institute for e-Health Policy and the Maryland Healthcare Cost Commission.
• Goal 4 speaks to the need to inform and educate the general public about the benefits of HIT for NHIT’s populations of focus. Important vehicles for information and education are the eNewsletter, social media as well as NHIT’s website, www.nhitunderserved.org. Management Committee members, Russell Davis, Garth Graham, Neal Neuberger, Brian Smedley, Nicol Turner-Lee and Kathie Westpheling have been particularly active in spreading the word about NHIT and its goals.
• All of these activities combine to help us attain Goal 5, leveraging NHIT's influence and serving as a widely recognized and highly respected resource regarding HIT for the underserved. However, in order to be more effective, it has become necessary to rethink our structure and operations. We clearly need a strengthened Program Management Office (PMO). Further, our experience to date tells us that, rather than working through static workgroups, NHIT partners can be more effective if they address our focus areas with the support of dedicated staff/consultants and if they have specific assignments and clear timelines for completing their work.

Our four major areas of focus remain the same – education and outreach, workforce development and training, finance and sustainability and policy but they may be approached in a variety of targeted ways. It will be necessary to create additional task forces within these areas, specifically addressing concepts such as telemedicine, broadband access and consumer engagement, for example that are consistent with our vision and purpose.

We will soon be sharing information about coming events and new ways in which you can be involved with NHIT in 2011 and beyond. Your continued interest and support are greatly appreciated.

Our best wishes for the holidays!

Ruth T. Perot, Managing Director
Marcia Thomas-Brown, Chief Operating Officer
Latoya Thomas, Research and Communications Strategist