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Government House has announced that the Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) and a team of executives from Google and Google Cloud, will host a two-day workshop on September 12 at Government House on St. Croix for leaders from health IT and human services sectors to share best practices, resources and solutions for workforce development, integration and interoperability to ultimately improve outcomes in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The workshop is a follow-up to discussions that took place during OHIT’s Digital Health Summit in July that was designed to foster innovative and transformative health information technology resources and solutions, Gov't House said.
“Based on the energy and success of the Summit, I am pleased to see the Office of Health Information Technology taking another step to put in place practices, programs and partnerships that can greatly enhance the quality of health care choices and resources available to Virgin Islanders,” Governor Albert Bryan.
The release stated that many summit participants were eager to learn more about Google’s approach and resources and Google expressed a commitment to investing resources in the USVI health ecosystem, according to OHIT Director Michelle Francis.
The mission of the Office of Health IT is to design and implement an integrated health care system that uses health information technology to improve the health and wellness of U.S. Virgin Islands residents.
A representative from the Google Cloud team expressed that they are grateful for the opportunity provided by the USVI Office of Health Information Technology to discuss Google’s investment in the healthcare industry. Through this workshop, we will be discussing how to expand Google’s partnerships within the USVI in workforce development, and ways in which we can promote integration and interoperability across health systems to measurably improve healthcare outcomes for the USVI residents.
According to the release, the Office of Health Information Technology also continues to work with the Department of Human Services Medicaid Office to create and launch the USVI Health Information Exchange, which will enable a patient’s health record to follow them across providers in the Territory and on the U.S. mainland. The Health Information Exchange will also transform care coordination so providers can better communicate about a patient’s total care and see their record in one secure place.
The Office of Health Information Technology also plans to host a number of smaller educational events between this event and next year’s Digital Health Summit with the goal of equipping providers, healthcare professionals and the general public with the information, access to resources, and subject matter experts to navigate the evolving health IT landscape and make informed decisions.
