IHS Prepares to Deploy PATH EHR at Pilot Sites in 2026

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is nearing deployment its new Patients At The Heart Electronic Health Record (PATH EHR) system at pilot sites, and governance is a cornerstone in the agency’s modernization efforts, IHS CIO Mitchell Thornbrugh told GovCIO Media & Research. The system will roll out to health sites over several years, with the first pilot expected in 2026.

“One of the central principles of the modernization program is to build and operate PATH EHR with our partners, not for them,” Thornbrugh said. “We think it requires collaboration with our federal, tribal and urban partners to address hardware requirements, software functionality, data integration, business process, revisions, workflow, redesigns, user acceptance testing and the new enterprise EHR solution for training and support.”

PATH EHR will replace IHS’s former system, the Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS). According to IHS, PATH EHR will improve data management, enhance user experience and help health care providers quickly make informed decisions.

IHS began the multi-year implementation strategy in 2018 and is the first agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to join the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). As a part of the agency’s data modernization strategy, IHS joined TEFCA through its dedicated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN).

“IHS is showing leadership in its decision to join TEFCA,” said Micky Tripathi, HHS’ former assistant secretary for technology policy, national coordinator for health information technology, and acting chief AI officer in a 2024 statement regarding IHS’ TEFCA participation. “I’ve been working with other federal agencies to stress the importance and value of participating in TEFCA … and I applaud IHS for being the first federal partner to join TEFCA, and I look forward to seeing others following their lead.”

Governance Drives PATH EHR Forward

IHS is developing strong governance frameworks and partnerships with other federal agencies and industry collaborators as it implements PATH EHR. The system aims to minimize operational disruptions, aid in informed decision-making for health care providers and promote better patient outcomes through improved data management and system reliability. Thornbrugh said as PATH EHR is piloted, he expects to find lessons that will guide changes in future deployments.

“This phased approach will help us build a health care IT ecosystem that better supports clinical decision making and operational efficiency, and we’ll look to critical implementation KPIs to understand when we’ve addressed patient access,” said Thornbrugh. “We’re back to pre-implementation levels that we have revenue cycle metrics that we monitor and overall, working with each site and with each community to make sure that we are meeting their goals prior to handing them over to a support model and moving on to the next implementation.”

IHS to Pilot PATH EHR

The Lawton Service Unit in the IHS Oklahoma City Area — including Lawton Hospital, Anadarko Indian Health Center and Carnegie Indian Health Center — was selected in Sept. 2024 as the pilot site for implementing PATH EHR. Thornbrugh said the pilot will include comprehensive testing, configuration refinement and user training to ensure PATH EHR can meet the operational and clinical needs of the pilot site and future health care facilities.

“Feedback from this phase will be instrumental in refining that solution for future deployments, and we anticipate making numerous changes as we move from pilot to deployment,” Thorbrugh said during the interview. “Following the successful completion of the pilot phase and the IHS Division of Health Information Technology modernization will continue to continue hosting enterprise design workshops to design and build the future state workflows.”

Feedback Drives Continuous Improvement

Throughout 2025, IHS will host four events to discuss progress, milestones and program challenges. The sessions will focus on topics like data management and interoperability, while emphasizing the governance pillar of PATH EHR. Thornburgh said governance allows enterprise partners to share their solutions while ensuring they are the most effective.

“It’s a really key point in our governance process to show how … we plan to manage the system and work with our partners to make sure that we’re using shared resources in the best way possible, and meeting the really lofty goals of what the technology can deliver when used, maintained and supported correctly,” said Thurnburgh.