Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN): Public Forums and Other Products

1st Nationwide Health Information Network Forum: Functional Requirements
The First Nationwide Health Information Network Forum identified and catalogued the list of functional requirements that will frame the development of the NHIN.

2nd Nationwide Health Information Network Forum: Health Information Network Security and Services
The Second Nationwide Health Information Network Forum advanced discussions and developed clarity on architecture approaches to ensure security and protect confidentiality; discussed the technical possibilities as well as the practical and policy implications of alternative architectural strategies in specific areas of health information networking; shared information on desired architectural characteristics and discussed possible paths to achieve them; and informed next steps in the advancement of the overall NHIN Initiative, the work of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics on NHIN functional requirements, and considerations for necessary standards and eventual network certification.

3rd Nationwide Health Information Network Forum: Prototypes and Business Models
The Third Nationwide Health Information Network forum showcased the work of the four NHIN Consortia by providing an opportunity to view actual demonstrations of health information exchange prototypes. Additionally, the forum included presentations and discussion on different approaches to business models targeted at establishing self-sustaining health information service providers and exchange and interactive panel presentations.

4th Nationwide Health Information Network forum: Trial Implementations
The fourth NHIN forum will advance discussions and develop clarity on how the trial implementations are addressing key aspects of standards-based, private and secure information exchanges via the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). This program will enlist public input and share experiences from state and regional health information exchanges as they implement and test trial implementations of the NHIN. Participants will also learn how the work of Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) are being used to inform the NHIN trial implementations.

NHIN-HISPC-SLHIE Joint Conference: Fostering Partnerships to Advance Health Information Exchange
The Joint Conference was held on April 30, 2008 – May 2, 2008 in Dallas, TX and included participants from three Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) led contracts: the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN), the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration (HISPC), and the State Level Health Information Exchange Consensus Project (SLHIE). For three days representatives from each of these contracts shared the stage, their knowledge, and expertise.

National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) Recommendations

The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) has worked in two areas in support of the NHIN. NCVHS created recommendations on privacy and functionality and the minimal set of initial functional requirements necessary for NHIN activities. These recommendations can be found at the links below:

• Recommendations regarding privacy and functionality in the Nationwide Health Information Network
• Recommendations on the initial functional requirements for a Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN)