History

Arizona Health-e Connection grew out of an August 2005 executive order by Governor Napolitano and the subsequent work of hundreds of Arizona individuals and institutions. Within six months of the executive order, a blue-ribbon steering committee, working with eHealth Initiative (eHI) of Washington D.C., national subject matter experts, and Arizona volunteers, delivered a five-year plan - known as the Roadmap - for establishing the state's e-health infrastructure. The Roadmap called for development of infrastructure on a regional basis, with provision of shared infrastructure components by a state-wide, non-profit, public-private partnership. This statewide non-profit would also provide leadership for educating Arizonans on e-health, developing statewide policies and agreements, and promoting clinicians' adoption of electronic medical records, e-prescribing, and other health information technology.

Arizona Health-e Connection was founded as a non-profit in January 2007, and chose its first executive director in September 2007. It currently maintains offices within the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA). Educational efforts include its annual summit in the spring of each year, which provides an overview of national, state, and regional efforts throughout the U.S. to Arizona's health care, government and business leaders, as well as consumers.