Washington, DC – November 4, 2021 – Today at the virtual Digital Health Equity Summit, the Executives for Health Innovation (EHI) released the Digital Health Equity Pledge.
Designed to ensure that powerful digital health technologies do not exacerbate existing biases, the Pledge centers on commitments from organizations in four main areas: accessibility; diversity; respect; and public policy. Highlighting equity issues that are specific to digital health, the Pledge calls for increased focus and responsibility from companies to address those issues by following the guidelines and working to reach its ambitious goals.
“EHI is proud to lead the Digital Health Equity Pledge,” said Jen Covich Bordenick, CEO, EHI. “We have been at the forefront of convening healthcare leaders to discuss barriers and address inequities in the current system and how technology and data can be leveraged in this on-going work. The organizations who have signed the Pledge are taking a strong step forward toward health equity, and we are thrilled to partner with them on this important work.”
“Our commitment to this pledge will enable us to identify disparities in our healthcare system and focus our efforts to provide equitable access to healthcare for all,” said Kris Joshi, executive vice president of network solutions at Change Healthcare. “By working together, we can use insights to accelerate progress toward advancing diversity and inclusion and increasing quality care for patients.”
“As the largest integrated rural health care system in the nation, this pledge aligns with our current efforts to advance health equity, diversity and inclusivity, for our employees and providers, as well as the patients and communities we serve. We have an obligation as an anchor institution to help lead the way, and we are proud to sign on to the eHI pledge,” said Susan Turney, MD, CEO, Marshfield Clinic Health System.
“At Jasper Health, we are proud to support the health equity pledge. We know that patients who are disadvantaged because of financial limitations, location, sexual orientation or the color of one’s skin are at a greater risk of poor outcomes. Jasper Health will work hard to build resources that can close resource gaps and work with eHI to drive awareness and action,” said Adam Pellegrini, CEO & Co-Founder, Jasper Health.
“It’s time for us to see telehealth for what it can be. Not just a way to trade places (replace an office visit with a phone visit) but as a logistical infrastructure for the re-distribution of care and consequently, the biggest hope we had in decades to advance our healthcare experience as patients,” said Roy Schoenberg, President & CEO, Amwell.
“Technology has the power to make our healthcare systems more innovative and inclusive than ever before, or it could widen inequities,” said Kristine Martin Anderson, Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton. “As we imagine the future of healthcare together, we are proud to sign the Digital Health Equity Pledge and leverage Booz Allen’s deep expertise to help ensure that all receive equitable, accessible, high quality healthcare.”
“We are proud and excited to support the EHI Digital Health Equity Pledge and to continue our collaboration with them to ensure healthcare equity for everyone needing care,” said Josh Schoeller, CEO at the Health Care business of LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “Beginning with our early efforts in working with eHI to develop the ‘Guiding Principles for Ethical Use of Social Determinants of Health Data’ we remain committed to our common goal of using data and analytics to remove health inequities across all of our communities.”
“We share eHealth Initiative’s commitment to transform and improve the delivery of healthcare through technology, innovation, and data sharing,” said Paul Brient, chief product officer at athenahealth. “At athenahealth, our vision is to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all, and we look forward to partnering with eHealth Initiative to promote and advance our collective goals.”
"Digital health solutions are reshaping how care is delivered and accessed. With this shift there is a unique opportunity to intentionally design digital care models that support equity, improve access, and remove physical and systemic barriers inherent in the traditional healthcare system. I am proud to sign on to this pledge as well as take action toward making world-class healthcare and digital tools available for everyone." - Drew Schiller, CEO, Validic
“As a technology leader empowering data-driven healthcare, Inovalon understands the importance of identifying and addressing the disparities that exist across the ecosystem. We recognize our role in helping ensure opportunities are available to all individuals to attain the highest level of health and the power of data in that endeavor. Inovalon is honored to partner with eHI on the Digital Health Equity Summit and to join like-minded organizations in signing the Digital Health Equity pledge.” - Henry Archibong, AVP, Innovative Solutions, Inovalon
The Pledge will remain open for additional signers until Wednesday, December 1st. Organizations interested in signing can do so here.
About Executives for Health Innovation (EHI)
Executives for Health Innovation (EHI) convenes executives from every stakeholder group in healthcare to discuss, identify, and share best practices to transform the delivery of healthcare using technology and innovation. EHI, along with its coalition of members, focuses on education, research, and advocacy to promote the use and sharing of data to improve health care. Our vision is to harmonize new technology and care models in a way that improves population health and consumer experiences. EHI has become a go-to resource for the industry through its Resource Center. For more information, visit www.ehidc.org.