Since its first summit in May 2006, the Northern Virginia Regional Health Information Organization  Inc. (NOVARHIOsm) has made significant progress toward a full health information exchange for all northern Virginians.  Our first full-scale pilot project--an initial step in establishing a comprehensive health information exchange in northern Virginia--is well underway.  Our collaborators include Inova Health Systems, GE Healthcare, Erickson Retirement Communities and  Audacious Inquiry, Inc.  The first phase of this project has been funded by a grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The project has two aspects:   --NOVARHIO and its collaborators are undertaking a trial to provide Inova Alexandria Emergency Department physicians with patient medication history (with patient permission) to help in diagnosis and in determining course of treatment during times of great health risk.  --We are in the process of establishing a standards-based health information framework for automating and providing access to the "File for Life".  With the help of public health officials from across Planning District 8, we will extend the File for Life effort through community outreach in the coming months. (Please download a hard copy of this document and encourage your family and friends to do the same.) In addition, NOVARHIO has been selected as a community partner to help implement a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid-funded initiative that will promote the use of electronic health records in local physician practices.  This project will be launched in Spring 2009. In the face of obvious need, the support for a regional health information exchange for northern Virginia continues to escalate. Our dedicated board members and committees are working tirelessly behind the scenes. Our quarterly plenary sessions conintue to be anticipated and well-attended events that involve a broad and ever-increasing number of health care constituencies.  Much has been accomplished. Much remains to be done. We hope you’ll join us at our next Plenary Session to find out more about what’s been done and what we still need to do to make a regional health information exchange—and improved quality of care and life --a reality for northern Virginia.  NOVARHIO(sm)    Northern Virginia Regional Health Information Organization, Inc.