After more than 15 years of creating and pushing health IT innovations forward in the state, the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative has completed its final dissolution.
This week, the organization announced that its remaining assets had been distributed to six local public charities whose grant projects closely align with its purposes.
“With our work completed, and our mission fulfilled, it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of HIT innovators,” said Dr. Lawrence Garber, chairman of the Board of MAeHC, in a statement.
WHY IT MATTERS
Since its founding in 2005, MAeHC has worked to improve the safety, efficiency and quality of healthcare delivery in the state by guiding organizations in the implementation and meaningful use of health IT.
It has also spearheaded interoperability, standards development and HIT policy initiatives.
Before dissolving, MAeHC had assigned its contract with the New England Healthcare Exchange Network to the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium.
The board had also formed a grant program selection subcommittee to identify Massachusetts public charities to receive its remaining assets.
It selected the projects of six grantees:
- Athol Memorial Hospital, which will implement and evaluate school-based telehealth technology at rural school districts.
- Boston HealthNet, which aims to increase patient utilization of home self-monitoring.
- East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, which will integrate tele-monitoring devices intended for elderly patients and those with chronic illnesses or infected with COVID-19.
- Fenway Community Health Center, which intends to improve healthcare through increasing capacity, expanding access, improving outcomes and reducing costs, particularly regarding the LGBTQ community.
- Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, which intends to make systematic changes in the way healthcare is delivered through the innovative use of electronic health information technologies.
- Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, which will design, test and complete a documented prototype for Electronic Prior Authorization integrated with the EHR.
“These organizations are all doing amazing work in their local communities and across the healthcare continuum, and we look forward to seeing how our grants support their unique projects and missions,” said Christopher Matarazzo, MAeHC president and CEO, in a statement.
THE LARGER TREND
Before it dissolved, MAeHC had sold some of its assets to Arcadia, which focuses on population health management and value-based care.
Former MAeHC CEO and President Micky Tripathi – now serving as National Coordinator for Health IT – also joined Arcadia’s leadership team at the time.
ON THE RECORD
The selected grantees, said Matarazzo, “will become part of the MAeHC story and its legacy, along with our former clients and employees, who I know will continue to play a role in advancing the quality and performance of HIT for years to come.”
