National eHealth Collaborative on Monday announced two new membership campaigns for clinicians, hospitals, health systems, health information exchanges and provider associations.

As it celebrates the first anniversary of its membership program, NeHC is offering two years of membership benefits for the price of one until Aug. 31. In addition, the collaborative has launched a premium membership program that offers enhanced benefits for early and highly engaged members, officials say.

NeHC membership benefits include networking opportunities with health IT decision-makers, member briefings on important technology topics, free access to NeHC’s resource library and more.

“It has been my pleasure to participate in National eHealth Collaborative Board of Directors meetings since I joined the leadership of ONC," said David Muntz, principal deputy in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, in a press statement.

"I have been impressed with the work NeHC is doing to bring together the best of the public and private sector to collaboratively address challenging health IT issues and develop pragmatic tools to help stakeholders implement health IT successfully," he added. "Their consumer engagement in eHealth, health information exchange, and health IT education programs are valuable for all healthcare stakeholders."

In an effort to drive multi-stakeholder collaboration, NeHC officials say the organization is committed to welcoming both organizations and individuals as members.

"Membership in NeHC provides clinicians with efficient and effective access to the critical knowledge and vital connections needed to be successful in our rapidly changing, high-pressure environment," said NeHC Board Member Michael S. Barr, MD. "NeHC’s public-private partnership with ONC also ensures that the voice of the healthcare provider is heard in Washington.”

NeHC seeks to helps its member organizations understand the evolving health IT ecosystem and connect to key national leaders, officials say. NeHC assists its members in determining what is most important to their current and future plans and accelerates those strategic and business efforts by providing an efficient and effective means of staying informed and involved in industry changes and innovations and their implications.

"NeHC develops operational guidance such as the HIE Roadmap and practical tools such as the NeHC Patient Engagement Framework and partnered with HealthCAWS to bring the Consumer eHealth Readiness Tool to market to help organizations accelerate their consumer engagement strategies," said Kate Berry, NeHC's chief executive officer, in a press statement. "And our NeHC University online education program has a large, diverse, loyal and growing audience of more than 30,000 since its inception in 2011 so it seems clear our programs are fulfilling an important need."

“Keeping pace with the changes in the health IT industry is challenging for even the most diligent professionals," said Bill Spooner, senior vice president and chief information officer at San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare, and the chair of NeHC's Membership and Communications Committee, in a statement.

"Choosing which organizations to trust as a source of timely and relevant information can be critically helpful in facilitating the right connections and gaining access to the best guidance and resources to support your efforts," he added. "Premium NeHC membership ensures that you have access to the full range of NeHC’s resources, connections and opportunities."

Learn more at www.nationalehealth.org/nehc-membership

[See also: NeHC lays out 4 routes to HIE success]