HealthShare
Montana began as a grassroots coalition initially created by U.S. Senator
Max Baucus as a result of his desire to improve healthcare for Montanans.
This diverse group of healthcare leaders began meeting in late 2005 to discuss
ways to facilitate and accelerate the implementation of HIT and HIE across
the state of Montana in an effort to improve the safety and quality of healthcare
and eventually lower the cost of its delivery.
Consensus
has emerged among federal leadership and the public and private sectors that
health information technology (HIT), health information exchange (HIE), and
all forms of telehealth, when implemented properly, can improve the quality
and safety of healthcare and help stem its rising costs.
- January 19, 2007
in Helena, Montana, the grassroots coalition met to create a more formal structure.
A Steering Committee was elected on that date and was tasked with organizing
the entity into a Montana public benefit corporation by early spring.
-
July 11, 2007 in Bozeman, Montana, the Steering Committee
formally elected a new Board of Directors and adopted a governance structure
to support HealthShare Montana. The Board is representative of the health
information technology interests of the state, as well as being geographically
diverse.
