Holly Miller, M.D., MBA, Tapped to Serve on i2 Initiative Advisory Board

ONC's Investing in Innovations Initiative uses competitions and cash prizes to spur health IT innovation

FISHKILL, N.Y., July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Holly Miller, M.D., MBA, FHIMSS, chief medical officer of MedAllies, Inc. and vice chair of the HIMSS board of directors, will serve on the advisory board for the Investing in Innovations (i2) Initiative.

The new program from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information, designed to spur innovations in health information technology (health IT), is part of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010.

The program holds competitions and offers prizes to accelerate development of solutions to pressing health IT challenges. Recent competitions focused on applications that generate results for patients, caregivers and/or clinicians by providing them with access to relevant information that can support real needs and immediate decisions; and tools that facilitate exchange of health information while allowing individuals to customize the privacy allowances for their personal health records.

Miller is among a handful of national thought leaders invited to serve on the advisory board, which will help identify what challenges to offer and what solutions to reward.

"Fostering innovation in health IT has never been more critical. Health care delivery is undergoing a tremendous transformation–and that transformation demands health IT processes," Miller said. "I'm honored to be part of this exciting project."

MedAllies is no stranger to innovation. Its expertise helped create the virtual integration necessary for health information exchange in a community that lacks a large integrated delivery network. Since 2007, more than 700 Hudson Valley physicians have implemented electronic health records (EHRs). MedAllies was one of only seven sites nationwide to launch a pilot for the Direct Project, a national effort to fast track electronic health information exchange. In MedAllies' hands, Direct is a tool to advance primary care models that emphasize care coordination and improved care transitions.

Miller discusses the Direct Project and how it enhances care coordination in a new issue brief. Essential information, available immediately, in the right dose: MedAllies Direct delivers on the promise of quality patient care is available here.

Together with Taconic Health Information Network and Community and Taconic IPA, MedAllies is part of the Hudson Valley Initiative, an effort to transform the health care system, first in New York and eventually nationwide.

About MedAllies

MedAllies is the health information services provider that facilitates physician practice redesign to improve efficiency and effectiveness of health care through health information technology. It operates the technical backbone for health information exchange (HIE) in the Hudson Valley of New York State. To learn more, visit http://www.medallies.com/.

About the Hudson Valley Initiative

The Hudson Valley Initiative is an effort among three organizations—Taconic IPA, Taconic Health Information Network and Community and MedAllies—to revolutionize health care delivery through a shared vision to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of health care in the community. These three organizations leverage health information technology, physician practice transformation and value-based purchasing in pursuit of care delivery that is patient-centered, coordinated, accessible, high quality and efficiently delivered through sustainable financial models. To learn more, go to www.hudsonvalleyinitiative.com.

SOURCE Hudson Valley Initiative