An internationally known health information technology (IT) leader and a top nonprofit health IT organization are collaborating with the Georgia Institute of Technology on a new public-private initiative designed to accelerate the use of health IT to benefit patients and providers – as well as improve personal and population health.

Open Health Tools, Inc., is a multi-stakeholder open-source community in which member organizations collaborate to create the shared platforms and tools necessary to build affordable and easy-to-use interoperable health IT solutions. Joining the effort as its senior strategic advisor is Robert M. Kolodner, M.D., who is chief health informatics officer for Open Health Tools and former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The new initiative will include participants from government, healthcare providers and provider organizations, patient and personal health advocacy organizations, open-source and commercial vendors, public health organizations, academic and non-academic researchers, start-up companies and entrepreneurs. Kolodner will serve in a planning and participant coordination role, making use of his 30-plus years of experience in health IT.

Learn more at www.openhealthtools.org.