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Recognizing that transformational changes often occur incrementally, Connecting for Health has approached its work in phases. With guidance and leadership of our collaborators, we have developed each phase in achievable steps toward secure, dynamic connectivity in health care.
Phase 4 (2003–2006) of the Markle Connecting for Health collaboration focused on the NHIN Prototype and personal health technology.
During Phase 3 (2005–2006), the Markle Connecting for Health Common Framework model, the Markle Connecting for Health Common Framework prototype, and the Markle Foundation Personal Health Technology Initiative were developed.
During Phase 2 (2003–2004), the Markle Connecting for Health collaboration developed The Markle Connecting for Health Roadmap for Achieving Electronic Connectivity from Our Nations Health Care Leaders.
In Phase 1 (2002–2003), the Markle Connecting for Health collaborative focused especially on moving the health care field toward the adoption of health care data standards, identifying "noteworthy" practices in privacy and security, and elaborating the role of the consumer and the personal health record.
In 2012, an additional set of resources, the Markle Connecting for Health Common Framework Policies in Practice for Health Information Sharing (Policies in Practice), was developed as an addendum to the original Markle Common Framework to address a range of critical health information sharing implementation needs identified by experts working in the field.
Throughout its history, Connecting for Health has focused on connecting Americans to their personal health information and health-related services. Phase 5 began in 2007. In June 2008, with support from more than 50 organizations, Markle released the Common Framework for Networked Personal Health Information, a set of policy and technology practices encourage appropriate handling of personal health information as it flows to and from personal health records (PHRs) and similar applications or services.
Opportunities for Supporting Population Health As health information becomes increasingly networked, there are growing opportunities to support health and health care not only for individuals, but for entire populations as well. Networked health information distributed across a wide array of sources can help in three key areas: It can be used to bolster clinical research capabilities. It can increase the effectiveness of our public health system. It can empower health care consumers and professionals with information about cost, quality, and outcomes. Connecting for Health has explored how the Markle Common Framework can be applied to support sharing population-level health information while protecting consumer privacy. Early exploration has included work in the following areas.
The Markle Policy for a Networked Society Initiative sought to enhance the public’s understanding of and involvement in technology-related policy making.As the Internet became part of the mainstream in the U.S., Markle initiated collaborations to expand access to the Internet in developing countries and worked to ensure public representation in global Internet governance processes. Key projects within this Initiative include Markle’s initiation and involvement with the G-8 Digital Opportunity Task Force and the Global Digital Opportunity Initiative, engagement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, as well as design of Web White & Blue.
New York, NY - To help consumers, providers, insurers and other health data holders see how providing the ability for people to download their health records can improve health and health care, the Markle Foundation today released a new video showing the power of blue button technology. The four-and-a-half minute video debuted at a consumer health IT summit at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in Washington, D.C. Through the stories of three veterans, it illustrates how much this simple tool helps people keep track of their medical information and the value that the blue button offers to both patients and providers. Markle hopes the video can be an important educational tool to help data holders understand the value of the technology and appreciate its importance to patients. The Markle Connecting for Health public-private collaborative conceived the idea for the blue button download capability at a January 2010 meeting. The idea was then embraced and developed as an innovative tool by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Today, over one million people, including veterans and non-veterans, use a blue button to download their personal health information. "Information access is a critical building block to helping patients make better decisions, improve their health, and get better care," says Laura Bailyn, Senior Director, Markle. The Markle Connecting for Health collaborative envisioned the blue button as a broadly available tool for patients and beneficiaries on the secure websites of medical practices, hospitals, insurers, pharmacies, laboratories and information services. To make the blue button technology reliable and trustworthy, the group also has developed a recommended set of privacy and security practices for its implementation. To learn more about the blue button technology, visit our website at www.markle.org or visit www.bluebuttondata.org. Contact Andrew Peters (301) 280-5728 or [email protected]
The 2012 Consumer Health IT Summit will bring together federal leaders including: Todd Park, U.S. Chief Technology Officer; Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; and inspiring leaders from the private and non-profit sectors. Markle Director Jill Schulmann will attend the summit, at which video will be shown highlighting the blue button download capability. The summit covers: Announcements about new policies and federal initiatives Examples of trailblazing companies that are enabling widespread consumer access to health information Compelling consumer tools that help people to make use of their data Creative approaches to motivate and support consumer engagement in health Exciting developments related to the blue button
The HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo aims to equip attendees to understand the challenges, complexities, and the opportunities that will enable health care transformation with a focus on both a strategic and tactical perspective. Markle’s Director of Health, Meredith Taylor, co-hosts the session “Critical Implementation Strategies for Today’s Health Information Sharing Environment,” addressing approaches to a set of high-priority issues identified by implementers that are further detailed in the Markle Connecting for Health Common Framework Policies in Practice for Health Information Sharing. Learn more about this event. Contact: [email protected]
