Lawton Service Unit Announced as First PATH EHR Pilot Site

The Indian Health Service is happy to announce that the Lawton Service Unit in the IHS Oklahoma City Area, including Lawton Hospital, Anadarko Indian Health Center, and Carnegie Indian Health Center, has been selected as the pilot site for implementing the new IHS enterprise electronic health record (EHR) solution, PATH EHR. Lawton Service Unit will implement PATH EHR's functionality, usability, and compatibility in a real-world health care environment before it is rolled out on a larger scale.

This will allow the Health Information Technology Modernization Program team to identify and address any issues, refine the solution, and gather feedback to improve future deployment efforts.

Pilot site implementation will require a substantial degree of hands-on management by the Modernization Program and will be supported by the Enterprise Collaboration Group (ECG), a user-focused body that will inform the clinical and administrative configuration of the new PATH EHR.

One of the central principles of the program is to build and operate PATH EHR with our partners, not for them. The pilot site and the ECG will support this collaboration and help ensure that PATH EHR deployment minimizes facility disruptions and improves patient care and health care operations. The IHS looks forward to collaborating with the Lawton Service Unit to ensure PATH EHR provides a high-quality, modern health care IT solution for Indian Country.

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Mitchell Thornbrugh, an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is the Chief Information Officer for the Indian Health Service. His responsibilities include advising senior IHS leadership on all aspects of information resource management and technology and ensuring IHS compliance with information technology laws, regulations, and policies.