Organization Seeing Continuous Membership Growth and Interest Year-Over-Year

Washington, DC – July 10, 2023 – Civitas Networks for Health today announced the addition of 11 new organizations to its membership in the first half of 2023, representing continuous growth for the nonprofit organization. As the largest national network of its kind, Civitas is comprised of member organizations working to use health information exchange, health data, and multi-stakeholder, cross-sector approaches to improve health across North America.

Civitas’ membership is comprised of action-oriented thought leaders and implementers at the local, regional, state, and national levels. Organizations who have joined the network since January 2023 include BerryDunn, BluePath Health, Colorado Community Managed Care Network, Data Across Sectors for Health, Foundation for Health Care Quality, MetaStar, Quality Insights, Rhodes Group, Smile Digital Health, Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange, and Zus Health. They represent and add to the deep expertise and community-serving functions of the Civitas network, with 166 member organizations working in every state in the nation.

Civitas’ Origins
Launching in October 2021, Civitas was formed by two national membership organizations joining forces, the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative and the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement. Now in its second year, the established organization is building on its strong foundation of long-standing member organizations by continuing to increase the diversity of members spanning:

• All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs)
• Health Data Utilities (HDUs)
• Health Information Exchanges (HIEs)
• Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs)
• Regional Health Improvement Collaboratives (RHICs)
• Strategic business and technology partners

The work Civitas members do is fundamental to improving health, moving the American health care system forward, and building the underlying infrastructure for health equity.

“Emerging from the pandemic, the work Civitas members are doing to connect health data to outcomes is more important than ever,” said Civitas CEO, Lisa Bari. “Our new members are incredible additions to the Civitas network, and we are grateful for their partnership and collaboration. We look forward to seeing new faces at our annual conference in August.”

Civitas Networks for Health 2023 Annual Conference
Civitas will convene the majority of its members and like-minded industry professionals at the #Civitas2023 Annual Conference, taking place August 20 through 23, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted in partnership with Civitas’ Chesapeake Bay Region Members, the conference will highlight public-private partnerships that inspire health transformation. As Civitas continues to play a key role in advancing interoperability nationwide, leading health improvement, and evolving the HDU model, conference speakers and panelists will primarily focus their remarks on the role of public-private partnerships to improve public health, support data modernization, and workforce development efforts, while applying a health equity lens. Keynote speakers will be digging into this topic and coming at it from various angles – attendees will hear keynote presentations from:

• Anne Zink, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the Alaska Department of Health, President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
• Brian Castrucci, DrPH, MA, CEO of the deBeaumont Foundation
• Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, Acting Director of the CDC Office of Health, Data, Surveillance, and Technology
• Judith Monroe, MD, CEO of the CDC Foundation
• Stella Safo, MD, MPH, Founder and Executive Director of Just Equity for Health

With hundreds of expected attendees–both virtual and in-person–anyone at the conference will be able to take part in important and interesting conversations about how we can collectively work to advance public health and health improvement initiatives with data across the country. View the full agenda and register today.

About Civitas Networks for Health 
Civitas Networks for Health is a national nonprofit collaborative comprised of 166 member organizations working to use health information exchange, health data, and multi-stakeholder, cross-sector approaches to improve health. We educate, promote, and influence both the private sector and policy makers on matters of interoperability, quality, coordination, health equity and cost-effectiveness of health care, and as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, lead multi-site grant-funded programs and projects. We are proud to support local health innovators by amplifying their voices at the national level and increasing the exchange of valuable resources, tools, and ideas. To learn more, please visit www.civitasforhealth.org.

Note: This article was written in collaboration with Kevin McAvey of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. Check out Kevin’s recent work here: Realizing the Promise of All Payer Claims Databases: A Federal & State Action Plan.

For decades, U.S. government and industry leaders have looked for viable solutions to overcome the limitations of siloed electronic health record (EHR) systems, and to bridge the gap between health care and social services data and information. As the U.S. health care sector continues to undergo a vital digital transformation, the need for building stronger, more secure data that serves patients and the public while creating system interoperability is a national priority. We need comprehensive health data that allows for informed whole-person care both within the delivery of medical care and other community and social care settings.

For more than two decades, Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) have served as a primary source of secure health-related data sharing among local, regional, and statewide entities to provide more coordinated, efficient patient care. A recent US GAO report on electronic health information exchange reinforces this by acknowledging that survey data show that the use of electronic exchange among hospitals and physicians has increased in recent years. And today, to further bolster these capabilities, many state HIEs, regional health improvement collaboratives (RHICs), state health data organizations (HDOs), and other data-led non-profit entities are well-positioned to serve as a Health Data Utility (HDUs).