Health IT Modernization Program Kicks off Focus Groups

February marked a significant milestone for the Health IT Modernization Program, as kickoff meetings were held for three focus groups: Health IT Implementation, Interoperability, and Data Management and Analytics. The purpose of these focus groups is to support the Modernization Program’s transition from the current Resource and Patient Management System to a commercial enterprise Health IT solution, laying the groundwork for improved health care delivery and operational efficiency throughout Indian Country. These focus groups support this transition by having subject matter expert volunteers share information and expertise concerning issues of interest to all IHS, tribal, and urban health care entities regardless of their electronic health record solution. More than 50 attendees from across IHS participated in at least one of the three 90-minute virtual meetings.

PMO Operations Branch Chief and focus group liaison Duane Rozsnyai, shared, “The first focus group meetings not only had a great turnout with lots of energy, they also provided an opportunity for the IHS and our tribal and urban Indian partners to initiate thoughtful conversation, exchange valuable insight, and gather meaningful feedback.”

These Health IT Modernization focus groups provide forums for Native entities to meet and discuss shared concerns, allowing all to come away with information of value to their organizations. The Health IT Implementation focus group helps the Division of Health Information Technology Modernization and Operations understand the lessons learned, challenges, and strategies used by other federal agencies, Tribes, and urban Indian organizations to modernize their health IT capabilities. The Interoperability focus group reviews and suggests strategies, operational requirements, clinical practice standards, and performance measures that inform interoperability solution design and project planning. Lastly, the Data Management and Analytics focus group reviews and suggests strategies that support effective data use, security and privacy controls, and standards.

In the first set of meetings, IHS moderators outlined the meeting guidelines, attendees, team, workflows, and potential future topics. They also included reference terms to help scope the discussions of the specific focus groups. Participants asked questions ranging in scope from general administrative topics to requests for more specific EHR information and suggestions for future topics. At the end of each meeting, participants were asked to provide feedback on the initial topics to be discussed during the next meetings.

As we plan for our upcoming April, July, and October sessions, we invite subject matter expert volunteers from the IHS, tribal communities, and urban Indian organizations who understand health IT management issues to participate in one or more of these 90-minute focus group sessions:

• Interoperability: “What is Interoperability?” on April 2 at 3:00 p.m. ET
• Health IT Implementation: “Organizational Readiness” on April 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET
• Data Management: “Data Sources” on April 23 at 2:00 p.m. ET

These focus groups are open to all interested participants, not just those who choose to implement the new enterprise EHR solution. At no time will the focus groups provide consensus, recommendations, or advice to the IHS. Vendors are not permitted to participate. Interested individuals are encouraged to volunteer by emailing modernization@ihs.gov.

To our partners: Thank you for supporting our efforts to modernize health care throughout Indian Country.

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