Taconic Health Information Network and Community Welcomes Business, Community Health Center Leadership to its Board of Directors

IBM's Paul Grundy and Open Door Family Medical Center's Lindsay Farrell join THINC board

WASHINGTON, June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Taconic Health Information Network and Community (THINC) announced that Paul Grundy, M.D., MPH and Lindsay Farrell, MBA, have joined its board of directors.  THINC is the Hudson Valley's not-for-profit convening organization that sponsors research to advance improved patient care delivery models using health information technology; structures and implements pay-for-performance criteria associated with physician practice quality initiatives; and governs the region's secure health information exchange network.

Grundy is global director of healthcare transformation for IBM and president of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, a national coalition of organizations -- businesses, provider organizations, consumer organizations and others -- with a shared goal to advance the patient centered medical home.  Grundy leads IBM's health care industry transformation initiatives, with a goal towards shifting health care delivery around the world towards consumer-focused primary care-based systems through the adoption of new programs and payment systems, as well as the information technology required to support such change. IBM is an active partner in THINC's value-based purchasing program, which financially rewards physicians who demonstrate improvement and have met criteria that lead to better patient outcomes, utilization and patient satisfaction targets.

Farrell is president and CEO of Open Door Family Medical Centers, Inc., a multi-site federally qualified community health center headquartered in Ossining, NY that anticipates 200,000 patient visits in 2010. Open Door is recognized as a Level 3 patient centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance PPC®-PCMH^TM program.  Farrell began at Open Door as director of development in 1986 and has also served as director of operations for the organization. She serves on the board of a number of organizations, including Ossining Communities That Care, Community Health Care Association of New York State, Westchester Women's Agenda, Council of Community Services of Port Chester, and the Hudson Health Plan.

"The strength of the THINC board is the collaborative nature of its members, working across the table to constantly improve the quality of health care for the residents of the Hudson Valley," said Susan Stuard, MBA, THINC's executive director.  "Dr. Grundy's leadership on the national level to inspire physician practice transformation, combined with his responsibility with IBM to support value-based health initiatives, adds to our board's breadth of expertise.  Ms. Farrell's work on the local level to bring high quality health care to the safety net community brings a strong voice for community health initiatives."

THINC's 10-member board of directors includes leaders from across the health care spectrum — physicians, consumer groups, large employers and hospitals are all represented.  The board oversees the work of four active committees composed of more than 60 community and national subject matter experts.  THINC sponsors a pay-for-performance physician practice transformation project that rewards practices that achieve community-defined clinical and operational goals such as care coordination.  THINC also sponsors the Hudson Valley Health Information Exchange and an EHR adoption program.  

About the Taconic Health Information Network and Community (THINC)

THINC is dedicated to improving the quality, safety and efficiency of health care for the benefit of the people of the Hudson Valley region of New York. The primary purpose of THINC is to advance the use of health IT through the sponsorship of a secure health information exchange network, the adoption and use of interoperable EHRs and the implementation of population health improvement activities, including public health surveillance and reporting, pay for performance, patient centered medical home practice transformation, care coordination activities, public reporting and other quality improvement initiatives.

SOURCE THINC