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2024 Health IT Modernization Program Recap

by Mitchell Thornbrugh, Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology, Indian Health Service

In 2024, we made significant progress across the Indian Health Service Health Information Technology (IT) Modernization Program. The IHS is committed to collaborating with our partners and leveraging their feedback to build our new enterprise electronic health record (EHR) solution, PATH EHR, to meet the specific needs of its users across Indian Country. PATH stands for "Patients at the Heart," and demonstrates our dedication to assisting individuals on their journey to healing, promoting empowerment, and advancing health and wellness.

As we begin another year, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the Modernization Program’s milestones and partner engagement efforts in 2024:

January – February

  • Held the Health IT Modernization Program Kick-Off to align the broader program team and vendors on long-term goals, objectives, and upcoming milestones
  • Facilitated a tribal consultation and urban confer session to provide tribal and urban Indian organization partners updates about the Enterprise Collaboration Group and its role in the overarching governance structure for the Program
  • Kicked off focus groups for interested IHS, tribal, and urban (I/T/U) organization members, regardless of their selected EHR solution, to inform and support the design and configuration of PATH EHR

March

  • Kicked off the Modernization Leader Alignment Interview initiative to better understand the level of alignment among leadership around program goals, success factors, and identified challenges

April - May

  • Facilitated a tribal consultation and urban confer session to provide tribal and urban partners updates about Deployment and Cohort Planning as well as the phased approach for site-level implementation of PATH EHR
  • Launched the Getting Ready to Get Ready Guide to provide I/T/U facilities with a set of recommended actions to help prepare sites for implementation

June - July

  • Began to identify and define requirements for the Federal Oracle Cloud, the cloud-based host for PATH EHR

August

  • Launched PATH EHR as the name of our new enterprise EHR solution, which aims to keep "Patients at the Heart"
  • Facilitated a tribal consultation and urban confer session to provide tribal and urban partners updates about Multi-Tenant Domain Considerations and the benefits of utilizing a single patient record on a shared EHR platform
  • Launched Video 1 of the Modernization Video Series, titled Modernization Program Leadership Testimonials
  • Hosted ten breakout sessions at the IHS Partnership Conference, where program leaders and subject matter experts presented an array of modernization-focused topics to a total of 544 attendees
  • Facilitated the Health IT Modernization Tribal Summit, convening 61 tribal and UIO leaders and representatives in-person to engage in a caucus and discuss outcomes with program leadership for continued collaboration on future implementation activities

September

  • Selected Lawton Service Unit as the pilot site for testing the functionality, usability, and compatibility of PATH EHR in a real-world health care environment
  • Awarded 4DW Development to Cherokee Federal
  • Began staffing the Product Management DHITMO Branch

October

  • Conducted the initial pilot site visit in Lawton, Oklahoma, where the program team met with leaders and staff across three facilities: Lawton Indian Hospital, Carnegie Indian Health Center, and Anadarko Indian Health Center

November

  • Facilitated the Program’s first hybrid tribal consultation and urban confer session to provide tribal and UIO partners updates about Site Readiness and Training, including an overview of the key elements for ensuring organizational readiness and the comprehensive training approach
  • Launched Video 2 of the Modernization Video Series, titled The Impact of PATH EHR
  • Held the Health IT Modernization Program Alignment meeting to align the scope, timeline, and methodology for implementing PATH EHR
  • Held Solution Expert Training in preparation of PATH EHR implementation

December

  • Hosted an Enterprise Current State Review to engage the program team and SMEs in discussions about the considerations and critical impacts of PATH EHR configuration across various health IT domains
  • Received a total of 84 Statement of Interest (SOI) documents from partners interested in becoming part of the PATH EHR partnership

Together, we achieved great progress in 2024. The team’s commitment to our shared goals and efforts has been instrumental in driving the Health IT Modernization Program. I look forward to continued excellence and collaboration in 2025.

Stay Connected with the Health IT Modernization Program

   

Watch for 2025 Tribal Consultation/Urban Confer Sessions
The Health IT Modernization Program is committed to connecting and collaborating with our partners through informative sessions and open forums in future tribal consultation and urban confer sessions. Be on the lookout for the Dear Tribal Leader Letter and Dear Urban Indian Organization Leader Letter announcing the dates and topics for 2025 sessions. We will also include registration details for the sessions on our website once available.

   

Statement of Interest (SOI)
We invite our partners to complete a non-binding SOI to help IHS understand which tribal and urban sites are interested in becoming part of the enterprise EHR solution partnership. The SOI asks for limited details about those organizations, such as facility size, current EHR utilization, and point(s) of contact. The SOI may be submitted by email to modernization@ihs.gov at any time. Federal sites are not required to complete the SOI form.

    

Health IT Modernization Awareness Survey
The Health IT Modernization Program Awareness Survey intends to measure the effectiveness of the Program's communications, assess our partners' awareness and perception regarding PATH EHR, and determine tribal and urban partners' interest in actively participating in program initiatives. The input you provide through this survey provides the IHS with invaluable insight into the reach of our engagement efforts across Indian Country, helping us enhance the circulation of information about PATH EHR implementation. Take the survey here.

Connect with us!

  • Visit the website for more information about the IHS Health IT Modernization Program
  • Sign up to receive IHS Updates for tribal and urban Indian leaders
  • Sign up to receive Health IT Modernization Program email updates through the listserv
  • Read IHS Blog posts on modernization
  • Follow IHS on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly known as Twitter) to stay up to date on events, collaboration opportunities, and general program updates


Mitchell Thornbrugh, Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology, Indian Health Service
Mitchell Thornbrugh, an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is the Office of Information Technology director and chief information officer for the Indian Health Service. His responsibilities include advising senior IHS leadership on all aspects of information resource management and technology, ensuring IHS compliance with information technology laws, regulations, and policies.