AHIC Transitions to AHIC 2.0

The American Health Information Community, or AHIC, will be phased out in coming months as its successor, AHIC 2.0, is established, according to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt.

During a Jan. 22 AHIC meeting, Leavitt named LMI Consulting, based in McLean, Va., and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., recipients of a two-phase, multimillion-dollar grant aimed at funding the transition.

AHIC was formed in 2005 as a public-private collaboration tasked with advising Leavitt on how to advance the adoption of health information technology in the United States. AAFP EVP Douglas Henley, M.D., has represented all physicians on AHIC since its inception.

According to a question-and-answer section about AHIC on the HHS Web site, however, AHIC's charter requires that its responsibilities be transferred to a successor. The extent of AAFP's involvement in AHIC 2.0 is unknown at this time.

"I am confident that this partnership has the experience needed to convene a successful organization to advance adoption of health IT in the United States," said Leavitt in a Jan. 22 news release. "By securing a successor to the AHIC in the private sector while maintaining broad public-private collaboration, we will help to ensure that the health IT standards process is truly self-sustaining."

In the same release, Robert Kolodner, M.D., national coordinator for health IT, said that the successful establishment of AHIC 2.0 in the private sector would "ensure long-term success in the development of a nationwide health information network."

HHS anticipates that AHIC 2.0 will be fully established by December 2008.