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
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Watch for 2025 Tribal Consultation/Urban Confer Sessions |
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Statement of Interest (SOI) |
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Health IT Modernization Awareness Survey |
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