Phase 4: The NHIN Prototype and Personal Health Technology (2006-2007)

The NHIN Prototype

Connecting for Health's Common Framework approach was selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a prototype for the nationwide exchange of health information. The three Connecting for Health prototype communities (Boston, Massachusetts; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Mendocino, California) participated with Computer Sciences Corporation and several other partners in the award. Members of the Connecting for Health Collaborative and the Markle Foundation provided in-kind leadership and support to the Federal prototype efforts.

The prototype presents an open-standards, distributed, "network of networks" approach to the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). This "thin" NHIN approach is based on the Connecting for Health Common Framework policy principles, guidelines, and technical specifications for electronically sharing health information, while protecting privacy and securing personal information. It uses a streamlined, cost-effective approach with low barriers to entry. The Office of the National Coordinator recently commissioned Gartner, Inc. to write a paper on all of the NHIN prototype efforts (PDF, 1.3MB).

Any entity that implements the Connecting for Health Common Framework standards and policies can participate in data sharing under this model. It therefore has no preferred service operators, is vendor-neutral, and can be implemented based on local needs and determinants. This network model does not require the centralization of clinical information. Instead, clinical information remains held by organizations at the edges of the network, where it is created, maintained, consumed and protected. Information is then shared based on the preferences of patients and their providers.

Personal Health Technology

In December 2006, Connecting for Health published an additional Common Framework document titled Connecting Americans to Their Health Care: A Common Framework for Networked Personal Health Information (PDF, 1.6MB). This white paper describes Connecting for Health's vision of a networked environment in which consumers can establish secure electronic connections with multiple entities that hold personal health information about them.

At its Connecting Americans to Their Health Care 2006 conference, Connecting for Health released a national survey showing that Americans overwhelmingly want to have electronic copies of their medical records and believe that having greater access to their information will reduce medical mistakes and costly repeat procedures.

Press Release

December 4, 2006
Americans See Access to Their Medical Information as a Way to Improve Quality, Reduce Health Care Costs (PDF, 110K)

The research (PDF, 242K) also found that eight in 10 Americans are very concerned about identity theft or fraud and the possibility of their data being used by marketers without their permission – with three-quarters of those surveyed saying the government has a role in establishing privacy and confidentiality protections for electronic health information.