Health IT Advocacy Group Winds Down Operations After 22 Years

Executives for Health Innovation (EHI), a nonprofit health IT advocacy group, will wind down operations in the coming months.

Founded in 2001, EHI brought together thousands of health and technology executives, advocated for federal incentives, and provided community grant funding.

The board of directors is forming a committee to distribute EHI's assets to other nonprofits that align with its mission.

"Over the past 20 years, EHI has brought together stakeholders from across the health sector to share diverse perspectives, advance innovations to improve population health, and build meaningful collaborations that are transforming healthcare delivery," said Amy McDonough, chair of the board of directors and managing director of Fitbit, Google.

"I'm so proud of what this community has achieved," McDonough added. "While the work is not done, we are confident in the power of the partnerships we've built to sustain and carry our mission forward."

EHI has supported federal reimbursement efforts for ePrescribing, EHRs, and telehealth.

"Looking back, our members, supporters, and staff created a new reality in healthcare," said Jen Covich Bordenick, EHI chief executive officer. "In the early 2000s, prescriptions were handwritten, less than 20 percent of physicians had electronic health records, and telehealth was something you saw in movies."

EHI convened groups of competitors and stakeholders who did not normally communicate.

"Healthcare connects a variety of players who don't always like to play in the sandbox together," Covich Bordenick noted. "We helped people recognize that collaboration improves the experience for both patients and providers."

Over the years, EHI has significantly impacted health IT policy.

"EHI's unique strength lies in its ability to bring together multi-stakeholders and competitors in health and technology, fostering a spirit of collaboration," said Micky Tripathi, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

"This collaborative approach was instrumental in driving innovation, breaking down barriers, and accelerating progress in health technology," he added. "Their legacy is a group of collaborative leaders who will boldly propel us into the future."