HIMSS has announced that the HIMSS Foundation and the National eHealth Collaborative have merged. NeHC has worked closely with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT as well as other public and private organizations to encourage effective use of health IT.

“Both organizations embrace a similar mission to engage with all stakeholders to drive positive change in healthcare with IT and provide a single, mission-driven voice and focus,” HIMSS explained in a prepared statement.

NeHC’s board of directors approved the merger in late November, and NeHC members and the HIMSS Foundation board of directors  approved the merger in mid-December.

NeHC’s CEO, Kate Berry, will play a leadership role to assist in ensuring a smooth transition of NeHC into HIMSS over the next few months, HIMSS leaders said.

NeHC was created five years ago by Mike Leavitt when he was Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Operating as an independent, non-profit organization, NeHC has worked closely with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT as well as other public and private organizations to encourage effective use of health IT.  The original five-year cooperative agreement funding from ONC ended in 2013.

[See also: NeHC seeks to expand membership.]

With the merger completed, by early spring new or expanded initiatives operating within the HIMSS Foundation include:

• The creation of the HIMSS Center for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, aligning with HIMSS’s Connected Patient Committee and Community
• NeHC’s education programs will be integrated with a NeHC University and Resource Library on HIMSS’s website
• NeHC’s health information exchange programs will become part of the HIMSS HIE portfolio

As part of the merger, NeHC members will become HIMSS members. The NeHC Board of Directors will appoint a volunteer advisory committee to help shape the agenda of the new HIMSS Center for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, reinforcing the importance of and commitment to this transformation set of programs.

[See also: NeHC provides roadmap for HIE success .]

“As part of the HIMSS Foundation, we can intensify our efforts with the new HIMSS Center for Patient- and Family-Centered Care and our health information exchange programs,” said Carla Smith, HIMSS executive vice president.