Indian Health Service Proceeds With IT Modernization Effort

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is moving ahead with its IT modernization initiative, including fully replacing its Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS) platform with a commercial system.

IHS supports a comprehensive direct and public health service delivery system through a network of hospitals and clinics located in 37 states across the country, largely in extremely rural areas. RPMS was internally developed by IHS, leveraging a decades-long collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and is certified to the 2015 Edition criteria published by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

In 2018-19, IHS, in collaboration with HHS, engaged in comprehensive research and analysis of the current state of its HIT infrastructure and options for modernization. After a thorough review, IHS recommended fully replacing the system over upgrading and renewing it.

IHS notes that the “health IT industry has matured to a level where the IHS can be confident that commercial solutions are available that will enable the agency to move forward with a truly modern system that will not only support but improve its healthcare operations into the future.”

In a recent letter to Tribal and Urban Indian Organization leaders, Elizabeth Fowler, IHS acting director, described the plan to move ahead with replacing RPMS, including IHS’ engagement with the Mitre Health Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) on several modernization project activities:

• Regular conversations with officials from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Program Office, gathering lessons learned from the experience in those departments.

• Establishment of an overall governance structure for the HIT modernization initiative, including appropriate representation of and participation by partners across the IHS, Tribal, and Urban landscape.

• Hiring and onboarding of Federal and FFRDC staff to support the Project Management Office and related bodies.

• Distribution of a Request for Information (RFI) to give vendors insight into the upcoming solicitation(s) and to further inform our requirements. (The RFI was published on March 17. Companies had until April 19 to respond with their thoughts and recommendations, which will help the IHS prepare the acquisition plan.)

• Initiation of the broader acquisition process, including identifying an appropriate acquisition vehicle, developing acquisition artifacts, including cost estimates, and observing congressionally mandated reporting requirements before issuing a solicitation.

IHS held two listening sessions with Tribal leaders and received no objections to its recommendation to pursue full replacement, Fowler noted. “Many respondents explicitly supported this approach on the calls and in writing. Many other thoughtful comments and questions were received, reaffirming support for the overall modernization initiative and the importance of maintaining and supporting RPMS throughout the process.”

IHS anticipates an initial Request for Proposals to support IHS HIT Modernization in Fiscal Year 2021.