More Government and Industry Health IT Experts Join The Sequoia Project’s Board of Directors

Health IT experts provide strategic leadership and expanded opportunities for cross-collaboration of interoperability initiatives

Vienna, VA – February 6, 2017 – The Sequoia Project, the leading independent advocate for nationwide health data sharing, announced today the addition of six new members to its board of directors. The following two government liaisons and four industry representative 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:

• 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. 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,” said Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project. “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.”

And Stewart said, “The Board of Directors in any organization plays a vital role in approving the way forward for that organization. I’m honored to be selected to the board and represent Dignity Health, one of the nation’s largest health systems. I look forward to working with The Sequoia Project and making sure providers’ voices are included in the conversation about the future of health information exchange.”

A complete list of all of The Sequoia Project Board of Directors, including government liaisons, can be found here: https://sequoiaproject.org/about-us/board-of-directors.