HL7’s Da Vinci accelerator names 8 ‘community champions’
The recognition program, now in its second year, acknowledges contributions from IT professionals working on wider use of the FHIR standard.
An accelerator program of HL7 has named eight IT professionals as “community champions,” recognizing their contributions to broadening the use of the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources standard to automate healthcare transactions.
This 2021 class, which was recently unveiled, is the second group named as community champions by the Da Vinci Project, a private sector consortium seeking to improve the healthcare delivery system by accelerating interoperability standards to support value-based care, reduce administrative burden, automate workflow and improve provider teams’ ability to improve health outcomes.
The eight healthcare technology experts named as 2021 Da Vinci Community Champions represent the diverse membership of the HL7 Da Vinci Project, according to HL7. They include:
- Dave DeGandi, senior interoperability strategist for Cambia Health Solutions;
- Rajesh “Raj” Godavarthi, associate vice president of technology and interoperability at MCG Health;
- Heather Kennedy, principal interoperability architect at Humana;
- Heidi Kriz, assistant director of medical policy for Regence;
- Alice O'Carroll, interoperability product manager for Florida Blue/GuideWell;
- Semira Singh, director of population health informatics at Providence;
- Jason Teeple, enterprise architect for Evernorth; and
- Brent Zenobia, chief strategist at Novillus.
The Da Vinci Project created the Community Champions Program last year to recognize and celebrate the problem solvers advancing interoperability within the industry. The program puts a spotlight on individuals who display the traits of “industry above self, a passion for making the healthcare system work better, supporting others, and promoting change,” according to HL7.
Those selected as Champions for 2020 were:
- Anna Taylor, director of operations for population health, Multicare Connected Care;
- David DeGandi, senior interoperability strategist, DTS CTO organization, Cambia Health Solutions;
- Gini McGlothin, senior quality management analyst, Blue Cross Blue Shield Alabama;
- Linda Michaelsen, director of interoperability standards, Optum;
- Michael Gould, business lead for interoperability, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; and
- Patrick Murta, chief interoperability architect and fellow for enterprise architecture, Humana.
Those honored in the first two years of the program exemplify the spirit and intent of the collaborative industry-first Da Vinci efforts, says Jocelyn Keegan, program manager for the Da Vinci Project. “The work of Da Vinci is, at its core, a human-powered effort,” she notes. “It is imperative that we publicly acknowledge the contributions of the smart, dedicated thought leaders who are redefining how payers and providers collaborate.”
Kirk Anderson, HL7 Da Vinci Project steering committee member and vice president and chief technology officer at Cambia Health Solutions, adds: “The important work of our FHIR accelerator is powered by people dedicated to solving today's interoperability challenges. Each individual was nominated by their peers based upon their daily applied effort, exemplary achievements and unique contributions to the Da Vinci Project in 2021.
“The growth and advancement of the industry standards, the expansion of FHIR community between payers and providers, and individuals like these champions are fueling the industry towards true interoperability. We will continue to identify and lift up community members who exemplify our goals, and to encourage and inspire others to join us on this incredible journey of building the future standards that are already improving the delivery of care.”