WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2022 — Civitas Networks for Health and DirectTrust today announced they are combining their respective annual conference events into “The Civitas Networks for Health 2022 Annual Conference, a Collaboration with the DirectTrust Summit” with the theme “Better Together: Health Data Collaboratives and Information Exchange to Advance Health Equity”. The conference will be held August 21-24 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, TX.

The national hybrid event will provide a robust learning and networking experience for attendees both in-person and virtually. With an array of health care industry leaders sharing ideas and best practices around improving health information exchange and interoperability, as well as many other critical topics influencing health improvement efforts aimed at increasing health equity, attendees will depart with thought-provoking and actionable ideas to be implemented in their respective communities.

Civitas Networks for Health and DirectTrust are seeking proposals for presentations for those working in health information exchange, interoperability, the social determinants of health, value-based care, health disparities, quality improvement, health care affordability, measurement and reporting. Click here to learn more about submitting a proposal.

Lisa Bari, Civitas Networks for Health CEO emphasized, “Interoperable health data and multi-stakeholder cross-sector approaches to health information exchange and improvement are absolutely critical in local and national efforts to reduce health disparities and achieve equitable outcomes. Civitas and DirectTrust members have built trusted, connected and innovative solutions to serve their communities. This conference aims to highlight this innovation and brings recognition to the importance of partnerships.”

The conference is open to all members of Civitas Networks for Health and DirectTrust, as well non-members who are invested in health IT, information exchange and health care improvement. Prices vary for in-person or virtual attendance and based on membership status; early bird registration discounts will be available through May 20, 2022. Corporate pricing, which includes unlimited registrations for virtual participation, is also available. Registration will open in March and be linked to the conference website. Additional sponsorship opportunities are also available; click here to learn more.

“A DirectTrust collaboration with Civitas on a joint conference makes great sense,” said Scott Stuewe, President and CEO of DirectTrust. “With considerable overlap in our memberships, partnering provides better value to the members of both organizations. Co-locating our activities and combining our agendas provides the industry with significant opportunities to envision the future of health equity driven by democratized and trusted exchange as well as regional centers of data excellence, under the umbrella of one world-class event.”

About Civitas Networks for Health

Civitas Networks for Health is a mission- and member-driven organization dedicated to using health information exchange, health data, and multi-stakeholder, cross-sector approaches to improve health. It was formed in October 2021 with the affiliation of the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC) and the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI). Civitas Networks for Health counts more than one hundred regional and statewide health information exchanges (HIEs), regional health improvement collaboratives (RHICs), quality improvement organizations (QIOs), and all-payer claims databases (APCDs) as well as more than 50 affiliated organizations as members and reaches approximately 95 percent of the United States population. To learn more, please visit www.civitasforhealth.org.

About DirectTrust

DirectTrust™ is a non-profit, vendor-neutral alliance initially created by and for participants in the healthcare and technology communities, including Health Information Service Providers (HISPs), Certificate Authorities (CAs), Registration Authorities (RAs), healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, consumers/patients, and health IT vendors. DirectTrust serves as a governance forum, trust community, standards organization, and accreditation body for persons and entities engaged in exchange utilizing PKI mechanisms for trusted, secure information exchange like Direct Secure Messaging and trusted, compliant document submission. The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote, and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain security and trust within its trust community. DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information. To learn more, visit www.directtrust.org.