AEHIT Goes to Washington


5.02.18
By Zach Donisch, Director, AEHIS, AEHIT, AEHIA Membership

Last Friday, the AEHIT Board unanimously approved the creation of a new committee to help forward AEHIT member interests – the AEHIT Public Policy Committee. This committee will be made up of volunteer members with an interest in or passion for public policy and advocacy around healthcare IT legislation and regulations in Washington, specifically regarding telehealth. This marks the third new committee AEHIT has stood up in 2018, complementing the Education and Professional Development Committee and the Certification Exploration Committee.

Chaired by Clint Perkinson, the AEHIT Vice Chair, this committee will work alongside CHIME in Washington D.C., leveraging their five-star staff on the hill to create change on healthcare IT related topics. Starting with telehealth as a major focus of the committee, committee members will advise regulators, lawmakers and CHIME staff on healthcare technology issues.

In concert with CHIME, AEHIT previously submitted commentary regarding the CHRONIC Care Act in 2017, which was passed as part of a bi-partisan federal budget bill in February of 2018. You can read the official statement here. The CHRONIC Care Act addresses patient identification issues along with expanding telehealth options for the chronically ill. Telehealth solutions open the door for rural, indigent, and hard to reach patients who lack the necessary transportation to receive regular or appropriate medical care. It also meets the demands of patients bringing care and convenience into their homes. This can reduce transportation costs on the patent and administrative costs for healthcare organizations who frequently balance rescheduling and double-booking visits when patients are not able to make their appointments. 

The committee will work to further define AEHIT’s position on telehealth and other technology concerns brought forward by congress and other agencies, and promote AEHIT’s collective expertise in healthcare information technology. The healthcare industry has unique technological challenges that are often influenced by laws and regulations at the federal level. AEHIT’s influence as an organization for leaders in healthcare information technology can inform and guide our nation’s leaders toward the creation of sensible, safe policy regarding our industry.

To join this committee, click here to and fill out the short web-form at the bottom of the page. If you are interested in joining any of our existing committees, you can do so at the link as well. As an organization, we hope to offer our expertise and experience along with a vision for the future of healthcare information technology.


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