THE EVOLUTION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE AT THE NIH CLINICAL CENTER

An information technology governance (ITG) program has helped the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center (CC) in the implementation of many systems and has guided the organization through the maturity of its project management methodology. The NIHCC Department of Clinical Research Informatics (DCRI) maintains an electronic health record (EHR) called the clinical research information system (CRIS) along with many clinical information systems (CIS) and research information systems, supporting approximately 3,200 users. ITG involves establishing processes to guide the review, selection, implementation, management, and setting of the IT strategy representing the business owners, stakeholders, and IT.¹ Research conducted by Levstek, Hovelja, and Pucihar² identified that different organizations may need different ITG structures, frameworks, and strategies. The path to achieving strong ITG is a continuous journey. This paper reviews the evolution of the NIHCC IT governance strategy.