During a meeting on Tuesday, National Coordinator of Health Information Technology Robert Kolodner, M.D., unveiled a project to replace the current government-based American Health Information Community (AHIC 1.0) with a public-private entity, provisionally titled “AHIC 2.0.” Kolodner also reviewed a draft white paper about the vision for AHIC 2.0. The final white paper will be posted on the ONCHIT website on August 6 for public comment.

Kolodner and HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt described a process that calls for the healthcare industry and consumer collaboratives to develop a detailed plan for the AHIC successor. They will take input from the AHIC and ONC white paper as well as public comment on the paper and the collaboratives’ own body of knowledge. HHS and ONCHIT will be sponsoring meetings for potential collaboratives in August. Leavitt stressed that if appropriate collaboratives do not step forward he will find another way to develop a successor.