The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium honored Joseph Kvedar, M.D., director of the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare in Boston, at its annual CIO Dinner held Feb. 12.

Dr. Kvedar was one of three recipients presented the 2013 Dolores Mitchell Investing in Information award, along with Len Fishman, CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife, and H. Eugene Lindsey, M.D., president and CEO of Atrius Health. The awardees were recognized for their demonstrated leadership in improving healthcare in Massachusetts, and their vision for transforming the delivery system for the benefit of patients and other stakeholders.

The Center for Connected Health is leveraging information technology – cell phones, computers, networked devices and remote health monitoring tools – to improve patient adherence, engagement and clinical outcomes. Based on the technology platform developed at the Center, Healthrageous was launched in 2010, creating a range of health and wellness self-management programs.

In 2009, Kvedar told Healthcare Informatics that the programs of the Center for Connected Health were evolving in ways no one could have predicted. “The biggest lesson learned is that we thought the big story was going to be that we were able to empower our clinicians with a richer data stream to make a thoughtful decision about care,” he said. “What we found was that the patients themselves become their own provider.” Kvedar said patients using home monitoring became very involved in their own care and started making decisions about how to manage their lifestyle, and stay out of the hospital. “That's why we've continued to design it more and more patient-focused.”

The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, founded in 1978, is a not-for-profit organization working to address innovations in technology, data and analytics, health care delivery, finance, and public policy.