Federal Health Board

KFF has already thought through and developed a framework model for governance of this important data sharing resource. The creation of the National Health Outcomes Data Sharing Network offers limitless potential. However, with great opportunity comes enormous responsibility. The daily collection and dissemination of confidential health data will require close oversight and scrutiny to ensure accumulated and shared information remains impartial, secure, and accurate.

A Federal Health Board (FHB) modeled after the quasi-public Federal Reserve System, (informally referred to as the Fed), for banking can address these concerns head-on in addition to helping set national health and quality goals. Similar to the Fed, the FHB will be compromised of a Board of Directors in Washington, DC, and up to six regional FHB offices located in major cities throughout the nation. Multiple healthcare policy advocacy organizations have lauded the FHB concept. The Commonwealth Fund has even devoted its own resources to considering how to research what should be handled by such an independent board.

The seeds for a FHB have already been sowed. Following years of advocating for the creation of a FHB, the KFF registered the FHB as a 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2008, and is providing the initial funding for it. The FHB will grow to become a financially independent entity by providing payment services to the health care industry (and/or insuring the uninsured) similar to how the Fed provides a variety of financial services for depository institutions including collecting checks and electronically transferring funds.

Additionally, the FHB is sponsoring a Global Health Sharing Network. To learn more about the Global Health Sharing Network click here.

Bipartisan FHB National Board members will be announced in the coming months.