Advanced Technology Program's Information Infrastructure for Healthcare Focused Program

This review examines how a “bottom-up” model of a civilian technology program works by recounting the story of the “genesis” of the Information Infrastructure for Healthcare (IIH) focused program of the Advanced Technology Program. The IIH program began with an exchange of ideas among members of the private and public sectors (through the submission of “white papers” by members of industry, workshops conducted by the ATP, and meetings among persons from both groups) to identify the technologies that are necessary for the development of a national information infrastructure in health care. What the ATP hoped to gain through this process and how the private sector responded are noted. A statistical description of the participants and a discussion of changes in the ATP review and selection process is included.