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 [email protected].

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

Stay Connected with the Health IT Modernization Program

	Register for 2024 Tribal Consultation and Urban Confer (TC/UC) Events With three more Health IT Modernization Program TC/UC events planned in 2024, we are committed to connecting and collaborating with partners through informative sessions and open forums. Register now using the links below: May 9, 2024 - Deployment and Cohort Planning August 8, 2024 - Multi-Tennant Domain Considerations November 7, 2024 - Site Readiness and Training
	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 [email protected] at any time. Federal sites are not required to complete the SOI form.
	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, an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is the chief information officer for the Indian Health Service. His responsibilities include advising senior IHS leadership on all aspects of information resource management and technology and ensuring IHS compliance with information technology laws, regulations, and policies.