Washington, D.C., December 05, 2013 -- The fifth annual mHealth Summit presented in Washington, DC by HIMSS Media brings together leaders in health IT and health systems industry to share innovations and address some of the most challenging issues facing technology adoption in healthcare. Kate Berry, CEO of National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC), Gary Ozanich, PhD, Senior Research Associate, Center for Applied Informatics at Northern Kentucky University (NKU), Rose Maljanian, Founder and CEO of HealthCAWS and Leslie Kelly Hall, Senior Vice President, Policy at Healthwise will be presenting a panel discussion on consumer engagement at the Summit on December 9, 2013 at 5:00 pm ET.

“Given the importance of this audience to advancing consumer engagement, we are pleased to be part of a panel that highlights the work we are so committed to at HealthCAWS,” said Maljanian. “Organizations that will thrive in this environment are those that understand that consumers are the end users of everything we do in healthcare and that their active participation and loyalty are key ingredients to success.”

The NeHC Patient Engagement Framework, developed collaboratively by 150 stakeholders in a year-long effort led by Leslie Kelly Hall, and the Consumer eHealth Readiness Tool (CeRT) developed by HealthCAWS, designed to align with the Patient Engagement Framework and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Meaningful Use criteria, provide a strong foundation for creating the necessary processes and infrastructure needed to support effective consumer engagement in health and healthcare.

More than 20,000 organizations across the country have downloaded the Patient Engagement Framework and many have applied it to practice, some of which have also licensed the CeRT. The CeRT – powered by HealthCAWS – is a business intelligence tool that includes an extensive survey-based organizational assessment, real time progress reports and a comprehensive resource center and solutions directory. The Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE), supported by NKU, has sponsored CeRT licenses for 48 of their provider constituents and will share their experiences at the upcoming mHealth Summit.

“The Patient Engagement Framework and CeRT have already delivered value to the providers and citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We look forward to sharing the results of our implementation and research at the mHealth Summit,” said Ozanich.

“Consumer and family engagement in eHealth has consistently remained at the forefront of National eHealth Collaborative’s agenda over the last two years. We appreciate the opportunity provided by HIMSS to convene this panel of thought leaders. I look forward to joining Gary, Rose and Leslie, to discuss advancements in consumer engagement,” said Berry.

About Kentucky Health Information Exchange:

The Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE) is part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), which is home to most of the state's human services and health care programs, including Medicaid, the Department for Community Based Services and the Department for Public Health. CHFS is one of the largest agencies in state government, with nearly 8,000 full and part-time employees throughout the Commonwealth focused on improving the lives and health of Kentuckians. KHIE has more than 600 provider and related organizations on the exchange, serving more than 1,000 locations.

About HealthCAWS:

HealthCAWS is a health care services company focused exclusively on helping payer, population health and delivery system clients improve health and reduce health care costs. By Combining Accountability with Support in an adaptable technology Platform, HealthCAWS mobilizes consumers and providers in a unified effort to achieve the common goal of high quality, affordable care – “the CAWS.”    

About National eHealth Collaborative:

National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC) is a public-private partnership that accelerates effective use of health IT to create a more patient and family centered healthcare system with better outcomes and greater value. NeHC works closely with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is led by some of the nation's most respected thought leaders in healthcare and health IT. NeHC’s primary focus is on encouraging health information exchange, providing tools to support engagement with consumers, and leveraging an education platform and health IT programs with broad stakeholder reach. NeHC brings value to the healthcare community by offering both pragmatic tools to support deployment of health IT and serving as a convener of stature to assist stakeholders in tackling common challenges and developing collaborative solutions. The NeHC Consumer eHealth Readiness Tool (CeRT) – powered by HealthCAWS – can be licensed at http://www.nationalehealth.org/cert.

About Healthwise:

Healthwise is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health decisions. People have turned to Healthwise information more than a billion times to learn how to do more for themselves, ask for the care they need, and say “no” to the care they don’t need. Healthwise partners with hospitals, electronic medical record (EMR) providers, health plans, disease management companies, and health websites to provide up-to-date, evidence-based information to the people they serve.