Collaborative initiative to address gaps in healthcare information

The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced a collaborative initiative to improve the organization and sharing of healthcare information.

The Integrated Health Model Initiative (IHMI), open to all healthcare and technology stakeholders, is designed to provide a complete view of a patient’s information to all participants. More than a dozen organizations are committed the initiative, and the list is growing, according to the AMA.

“We spend more than three trillion dollars a year on healthcare in America and generate more health data than ever before. Yet some of the most meaningful data—data to unlock potential improvements in patient outcomes—is fragmented, inaccessible or incomplete,” AMA CEO James L. Madara, MD, said in a press release. “The collaborative effort of IHMI will help the health system learn how to collect, organize and exchange patient-centered data in a common structure that captures what is most important for improving care and long-term wellness, and transform the data into a rich stream of accessible and actionable information.”

Early collaborators on the IHMI include IBM, Cerner, American Heart Association (AHA) and American Medical Informatics Association.

“One of our primary goals is to continue to develop a patient-centered approach to heart and stroke care,” Meighan Girgus, the AHA’s chief marketing and programs officer, said in a statement. “This new collaboration will ensure that patients receive the best care throughout their journey by providing a holistic view of a patient’s health data to health care providers along the way. By sharing data, we not only create a better experience for the patient, but, ultimately, better outcomes—more lives saved and an improved quality of life.”

The AMA said the initiative will initially focus on chronic diseases with large societal and economic burdens, such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma.