NHIN Timeline: Documenting the
history and development of the National Health Information Network
This is an annotated timeline documenting the activities of the National
Health Information Network. Related documents, when available, are linked.
Additional source documents follow the timeline. Of note, as of January
2007, four functional NHIN prototypes have been built and demonstrated.
As of March 2008, nine trial implementations of the NHIN are underway.
2008
Planned: Fall 2008, AHIC Successor in place (HHS
press release )
Planned: NHIN certification architecture in
place http://www.globalhealth.gov/EhealthITRemarksInteroperabilityMalagaSpain4-10-06.pdf
.
" ..we expect to have a ...certification process for NHIN architectures
which will allow standardized networks to be built in the private sector."
Source: remarks of Alex M. Azar II Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Address to European Union Health Ministers eHealth
2006 High-Level Conference and Exhibition Málaga, Spain April 10
2006.
March 12: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) awards
three contracts for NHIN development. The focus is on biosurveillance.
(Article)
March: The "DURSA" (Data Use and Reciprocal
Support Agreement) Workgroup slated to complete data use of reciprocal
support agreement for NHIN test data. The only public information is available
on a slide located here.
The DURSA workgroup is one of the NHIN cooperative workgroups.
February 26: 20 Federal agencies to build a mini-NHIN
for government, the NHIC-Connect Gateway. (article)
January - March: HHS establishes its NHIN "Cooperative
workgroups" meetings and activities. No official information beyond
the names of the workgroups is publicly available, and meeting announcements
are not made to the public. A brief presentation incorporating the DURSA
cooperative workgroup is available
here. One member of the DURSA group has been made public by the member's
organization. (Press
release).
2007
December 11-12: Fourth NHIN Conference, Long Beach,
California. (Conference
page) (agenda)
November 2007: ONC
update to NCVHS on the NHIN trial projects. (PDF)
September 28: Press release announcing trial implementations
of the NHIN (Press
release)
Trial implementations of the NHIN will be taking place in 2008 in these
settings:
CareSpark -- Tricities region of Eastern Tennessee and Southwestern
Virginia
Delaware Health Information Network -- Delaware
Indiana University -- Indianapolis metroplex
Long Beach Network for Health -- Long Beach and Los Angeles,
California
Lovelace Clinic Foundation -- New Mexico
MedVirginia -- Central Virginia
New York eHealth Collaborative -- New York
North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance,
Inc. -- North Carolina
West Virginia Health Information Network -- West Virginia
August 13: AHIC successor
Notice of Funding Availability published.
August 6: AHIC successor white paper published (AHIC
white paper, PDF)
July 2007: CCHIT Certified Ambulatory EHRs: most recent
list of certified Ambulatory EHR products (CCHIT)
May 31: HHS publishes its analysis of the NHIN prototypes.
The 113-page analysis was prepared by Gartner (Read
the Analysis). In the 113 pages, privacy was not clearly defined,
and received little substantive discussion.
March: CCHIT Certified Ambulatory EHR criteria is final
for 2007 (CCHIT standards)
March 5, 6 HISPC National Meeting for Office
of National Coordinator’s States Privacy & Security Contract.
See meeting materials (RTI)
January 26 State Alliance for eHealth has first meeting
(HHS, NGA)
January 25, 26: NHIN prototypes demonstrated
live in Washington D.C. The powerpoint presentations that accompanied
some of the demonstrations are now available online: NHIN
live demos and prototypes.
January 23 RHIO extension report, available here
Planned: Certification process for the hospital-based
electronic health records systems in place. Some certifications are in
place as of 2007. See http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/product/
for certifications. See also http://www.globalhealth.gov/EhealthITRemarksInteroperabilityMalagaSpain4-10-06.pdf
for comments about this initiative. (Source: remarks of Alex M. Azar II
Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Address
to European Union Health Ministers eHealth 2006 High-Level Conference
and Exhibition Málaga, Spain April 10 2006)
2006
October 16, 17 NHIN conference #2, presentations available
(HHS)
September RHIO report issued; "best practices"
state level health information exchange report
and website for project
Summer Creation of AHIC workgroup on Confidentiality,
Privacy and Security
(HHS).
June 28, 29 Scheduled: First nationwide health information
network forum. Identification of NHIN functions.
May 23 Multiple NHIN-related contracts awarded
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2006pres/20060523.html
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS announced
today that 22 states and territories have entered subcontracts with RTI
International, Inc. "
May 17 American Health Information Community Approves
First Set of Recommendations
"The American Health Information Community (the Community) unanimously
approved and delivered 28 recommendations yesterday to HHS Secretary Mike
Leavitt for his consideration. The Community made recommendations on how
to make health records digital and interoperable while protecting patient
privacy and the security of those records." http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2006pres/20060517a.html
April 20 David Brailer resigns
April 6 David
Brailer testimony updating NHIN progress
March Federal Health Architecture realigned.
http://www.hhs.gov/fedhealtharch/
"To better meet the President’s health IT goals, FHA as of
March 2006 has been realigned to provide the federal perspective using
the processes created within ONC to ensure that interoperability exists
within and between the public and private sector. FHA will achieve this
refined vision by providing input into the established infrastructure
and guidance for implementation within the public sector. Moving forward,
FHA will be representing and coordinating the federal activities in all
matters relating to the President's health IT plan." See
http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t060406a.html.
2005
November 29 Second AHIC meeting http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/m20051129.html
November 10 HHS
Awards Contracts to Develop Nationwide Health Information Network.
Some contract information available at: http://www.hhs.gov/healthit.
October 7 First American Health Information Community
meeting
http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/meetingdetails.html
October 6 Three contracts awarded totaling
$17.5 million. Contracts are for creating standards, compliance certification
process, and for analyzing state medical laws. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20051006a.html
"The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today awarded
three contracts totaling $17.5 million to public-private groups that will
accelerate the adoption of health information technology (health IT) and
the secure portability of health information across the U.S. These groups
will form strategic partnerships to develop the building blocks necessary
for achieving the President’s goal of widespread adoption of interoperable
electronic health records (EHR) within 10 years."
ALSO October 6: AHRQ Awards Over $22.3 Million in Health
Information Technology Implementation Grants:http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20051006.html
September 13 American Health Information Community
Commissioners selected http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/ahic.html
July 14 Secretary Leavitt announced the formation of
a national public-private collaboration, the American Health Information
Community, a public-private body formed pursuant to the Federal Advisory
Committee Act. The Community has been formed to facilitate the transition
to electronic health records in a smooth, market-led way. Call for nominations:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050714.html
June 6 Request for Proposals
"Secretary Leavitt Takes New Steps to Advance Health IT
National Collaboration and RFPs Will Pave the Way For Interoperability"
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050606.html
June 3 HHS report on Nationwide Health Information Network
(Exchange) (Summation of RFI comments) Report is available here:http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/rfisummaryreport.pdf.
May 11 National Coordinator released the Health
Information Technology Leadership Panel Report, prepared by the Lewin
Group.
Final report:
www.hhs.gov/healthit/HITFinalReport.pdf . See also http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/sechitlp.html
April 26 Indian Health Service shares EHR system with
NASA .
www.ihs.gov/PublicInfo/PublicAffairs/PressReleases/Press_Release_2005/10-Final_NASA_IHS_Release-AE.pdf
February 15 HHS Request for Information on NHIN due.
2004
November 15 RFI published by HHS on NHIN “Development
and Adoption of a National Health Information Network.”
October 13 $139 million in contracts awarded
by HHS to adopt health care technology.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20041013.html
July 21 HHS issued its “Strategic Framework:
The Decade of Health Information Technology: Delivering Consumer-centric
and Information-rich Health Care,” (The
Framework) released at the Secretarial Summit on Health Information
Technology at the Washington Convention Center.
"The
Framework outlined an approach toward nationwide implementation of
interoperable EHRs and in it we identified four major goals. These goals
are: 1) inform clinical practice by accelerating the use of EHRs, 2) interconnect
clinicians so that they can exchange health information using advanced
and secure electronic communication, 3) personalize care with consumer-based
health records and better information for consumers, and 4) improve public
health through advanced bio-surveillance methods and streamlined collection
of data for quality measurement and research." (Statement
of David J. Brailer, M.D., Ph.D. National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Thursday, June
30, 2005.)
May 6 First National Coordinator of Health
Information Technology named
April 27 Executive Order 13335 signed by President
George Bush
April 26 Health initiative unveiled.
March 22 Federal Health Infrastructure established
to create interoperability and increase efficiency within the public sector.
See http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t060406a.html
January - April 2004
President's Health Information Technology Plan (Chapter
3 of the plan)
Other documents of interest:
Timeline notes:
This timeline will be updated as necessary on a regular basis.
Sourcing notes:
The primary sourcing for this document are materials released by Health
and Human Services and other relevant U.S. Government agencies, contractors,
and the remarks of federal employees speaking on the record. When available,
sources are hyperlinked from this document.
Original publication date: June 5, 2006.
Last update: March 21, 2008.
Author: Pam Dixon
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