Two government liaisons and four health IT industry leaders will join the board of directors of the Vienna, Va.-based The Sequoia Project, a non-profit organization focused on nationwide health data sharing.
The six new board members will supplement the sitting board and will provide new perspectives in The Sequoia Project’s mission to make nationwide health data sharing a reality. The six new board members are:
Brian Ahier, digital health evangelist at Medicity (an Aetna business)
Elise Sweeney Anthony, director of policy at Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
Peter DeVault, vice president at Epic
David Horrocks, president at CRISP
Steve Posnack, director of standards and technology at ONC
Ryan Stewart, PMP, director of health information exchange at Dignity Health.
The three new industry members, Ahier, Horrocks and Stewart, bring health IT expertise as well as diverse interoperability perspectives to the non-profit’s board, representing health IT vendors, a regional health information exchange (HIE) network, and a health system, according to a press release. They join DeVault, who was re-elected, on a board that is active in guiding the future of The Sequoia Project and its initiatives, including the eHealth Exchange and Carequality.
“The Sequoia Project continues to attract industry and government leaders as we implement real-world health data sharing solutions for both providers and patients,” Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project, said in a statement. “We look forward to our new board members shaping the strategic growth and impact of The Sequoia Project.”
Ahier, DeVault, and Stewart were selected by The Sequoia Project membership to serve a three-year term beginning this month. In addition, the board appointed Horrocks to complete the remainder of the 2017 term for another open member seat.
According to Ahier, “I’m excited to join the Sequoia Project’s Board of Directors and lend Medicity’s voice to the critical conversation around scalable clinical data exchange. Medicity, which is a business of Aetna, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, recently became a Carequality implementer and we already offer eHealth Exchange-validated services to our clients. I look forward to participating in Sequoia leadership and sharing insights to help continue the movement toward nationwide interoperability.”
Anthony said, “ONC collaborates with industry partners in many ways to help ensure health information flows when and where it is needed the most, I look forward to continued engagement with Sequoia Project and its members.”
DeVault commented, “As an early implementer in the Carequality Interoperability Framework and vigorous supporter of the eHealth Exchange network, Epic has a vested interest in the growth and success of The Sequoia Project and all of its initiatives. During my time with Sequoia, the board has been knowledgeable, committed, and effective. And so I am very pleased to continue to serve as a member of Sequoia’s Board of Directors. Together, we’re committed to making interoperability a reality for patients and providers across the country. We’ve made tremendous strides and I’m confident that this year will see even greater growth toward our ultimate goal of seamless health data exchange nationwide.”
Horrocks added, “Regional exchanges are looking for ways to move records beyond their service areas and to integrate tightly with EHRs. Sequoia’s Carequality Interoperability Framework can help us accomplish these goals on a nationwide basis. I’m excited to be a new member of the Sequoia Project’s Board of Directors and will advocate with my peer HIEs to support the speedy adoption of the national interoperability framework.”
Posnack said, “I’ve worked with CEO Mariann Yeager for a decade in the pursuit of increased access to and sharing of patient health data. By joining The Sequoia Project board, I hope to further align the non-profit and ONC mission for the benefit of patients, providers, and researchers.”
