Vermont Information Technology Leaders Celebrates National Health IT Week

September 15-19, 2014

Health information technology improves the quality of health care delivery, increases patient safety, decreases medical errors, and strengthens the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.

To mark the important role health information technology plays in improving health care delivery in America, VITL— operator of the Vermont Health Information Exchange—and other organizations across the U.S. have joined together to celebrate National Health Information Technology (NHIT) Week.

With the theme of One Voice, One Vision: Transforming Health and Care, National Health IT Week is a collaborative forum assembling key health care constituents—vendors, provider organizations, payers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, government agencies, industry/professional associations, research foundations, and consumer groups— working together to elevate national attention to the necessity of advancing health IT.

“Our participation in National Health IT Week highlights VITL’s commitment to ensuring health information technology in Vermont is interoperable and focused on improving patient outcomes, said VITL President and CEO John K. Evans. “By working together we can leverage technology to promote the betterment of our health care system.”

In recognition of the critical role health information technology plays as a component of achieving better health outcomes for Vermont citizens, Governor Peter Shumlin has declared September 15 to 19 as Vermont Health Information Technology Week.  The governor’s proclamation can be read on the VITL website at http://www.vitl.net/nhit-week

VITL recently celebrated the role that health information technology plays in everything from health care reform to clinical data access during their Summit ’14. This annual conference attracted over 350 health care professionals from the New England region and nationally, to connect with experts and colleagues around topics in health information technology. The Summit keynote speaker, Dr. Karen DeSalvo, leader of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, praised Vermont and held the state up as an example to the nation in building their health information exchange, and for the high rate of adoption among health care providers of electronic health records. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, who introduced Dr. DeSalvo at the Summit, stated that “the work VITL is doing, to be sure, is really the foundation of Vermont’s future.”

During the week of September 15 to 19, find out more about health information technology and National Health IT Week by visiting www.healthitweek.org

About VITL
Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL) is a nonprofit organization that assists Vermont health care providers with adopting and using health information technology, to improve the quality of care delivery, to enhance patient safety and to reduce the cost of care. VITL is legislatively designated to operate the health information exchange (HIE) for Vermont, and is governed by a collaborative group of stakeholders including health plans, hospitals, physicians, other health care providers, state government, employers, and consumers. For more information, visit www.vitl.net.