Governance & Trust
Built on Transparency and Accountability
The foundation's governance structure ensures public trust, clinical safety, and equitable AI deployment through independent oversight, open standards, and institutional accountability.
Design Principles
Federally Chartered Non-Profit
Established as a public-interest entity with federal authorization, ensuring independence from commercial interests and accountability to taxpayers.
Independent Ethics & Compliance Board
Autonomous oversight body reviewing all model deployments, data governance decisions, and operational policies for ethical compliance.
Open Auditability Standards
All models subject to external audit, with full documentation of training data, performance metrics, and decision pathways.
No Exclusive Vendor Lock-In
Open architecture preventing proprietary dependencies, ensuring health systems maintain autonomy over their technology choices.
Oversight Structure
HHS / CMS Liaison Council
Direct coordination channel with the Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to align operations with federal policy.
Health System Advisory Board
Practitioner-level input from participating health systems, ensuring models address real operational challenges.
Clinician & Patient Representation
Standing representation from frontline clinicians and patient advocates to guide model priorities and safety requirements.
AI Safety & Equity Review Committee
Dedicated review of algorithmic bias, safety testing, and health equity implications for all deployed models.
Legal & Compliance Framework
Data Privacy Framework
Comprehensive HIPAA-aligned data governance policy covering de-identification, consent, storage, and access controls for all training and operational data.
Ethics & AI Principles
Published ethical guidelines for AI development and deployment, including fairness, transparency, accountability, and human oversight requirements.
Conflict of Interest Policy
Formal policy preventing board members, advisors, and staff from holding financial interests in vendor organizations serving the foundation.
Transparency Statement
Public commitment to open reporting on model performance, cost outcomes, governance decisions, and financial operations.
Federal Alignment
The organization directly supports federal healthcare objectives through standardized AI deployment, helping the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services move from payment enforcement to system enablement.
Medicare Trust Fund Sustainability
Value-Based Care Goals
CMMI Innovation Pilots
Leadership
Founding Team & Advisory Council
NHAIEF is led by a founding team with cross-sector experience in health system operations, federal health policy, and responsible AI governance. The advisory council is composed of senior practitioners across clinical medicine, rural health, AI safety, and federal policy.
Executive Leadership
Dr. Angela Merritt, MHA, DrPH
Executive Director (Interim)
Dr. Merritt leads organizational formation, federal partnership development, pilot site recruitment, and operational strategy. She is responsible for building the foundation from concept to operational entity, including 501(c)(3) filing, board formation, and securing initial funding commitments.
Prior roles include Deputy Director of Value-Based Care Innovation at a regional health system, senior program officer at a federally-funded health policy institute, and adjunct faculty in health services administration. She holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina and a Doctor of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Published in Health Affairs and JAMA Health Forum. Based in Washington, D.C.
Chief Medical Officer
Clinical leadership role overseeing model safety, clinical validation protocols, and patient safety standards. Candidate pool identified; formal offer pending board formation.
Chief Technology Officer
Technical leadership overseeing validation sandbox infrastructure, EHR integration architecture, and data pipeline operations. Candidate specifications finalized.
Advisory Council
Non-voting advisors providing strategic guidance during formation and pilot phases. Members represent academic medical centers, rural health systems, federal policy, and AI ethics research.
Dr. Patricia Okonkwo, MD, MBA
Clinical Operations & Patient Safety
Senior Health System Advisor
Former Chief Medical Officer at a 400-bed safety-net hospital in South Florida. 18 years of health system operations experience, including EHR implementation and value-based care transitions. Faculty affiliate at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
James Whitfield, JD
Federal Policy & Regulatory Affairs
Health Policy Counsel
15 years at HHS and CMS in policy development roles, including the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Legislative counsel experience on the Senate HELP Committee. Current practice focuses on federal healthcare regulatory compliance and nonprofit governance.
Dr. Renata Vasquez, PhD
AI Safety, Bias & Health Equity
AI Ethics & Equity Advisor
Research faculty at a Big Ten academic medical center with a focus on algorithmic fairness in clinical decision systems. Published in JAMA, Health Affairs, and Nature Digital Medicine. Advisor to the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) responsible AI standards working group.
Marcus Ellison, MHA
Rural & Safety-Net Health Systems
Rural Health Systems Advisor
Former CEO of a Critical Access Hospital network in Central Texas. Board member of the National Rural Health Association. Deep expertise in HRSA grant programs, rural hospital finance, and community health worker integration.
Board of Directors (Forming)
A seven-member Board of Directors is being formed with expertise spanning health system operations, federal policy, clinical medicine, technology ethics, and patient advocacy. Board formation is targeted for Q3 2026, concurrent with pilot site agreements.
Chair
Health System Executive Leadership
Presides over board meetings, sets strategic direction, and serves as the organization's senior governance authority. Requires experience leading large health systems or hospital networks.
Vice Chair
Federal Health Policy
Supports the Chair and assumes leadership in their absence. Brings expertise in federal healthcare regulation, CMS programs, or Congressional health policy.
Secretary
Healthcare Law & Nonprofit Governance
Maintains corporate records, ensures legal compliance, and oversees governance procedures. Requires background in nonprofit law, healthcare regulation, or corporate governance.
Treasurer
Health Economics & Public Finance
Oversees financial management, budget approval, and audit coordination. Requires expertise in health economics, public finance, or federal grant administration.
Director
Clinical Medicine & Patient Safety
Ensures all model deployments prioritize clinical safety, evidence-based practice, and frontline provider needs.
Director
AI Safety & Technology Ethics
Oversees algorithmic fairness, bias testing, model transparency, and responsible AI deployment standards.
Director
Patient & Community Advocacy
Represents patient and community perspectives in governance decisions, ensuring health equity and access are centered in all foundation activities.
Board Composition Note
The seven-seat structure ensures decisive voting (no tie votes) and balanced expertise across health system operations, federal policy, clinical practice, technology ethics, and patient advocacy. Board seats will be formally filled by Q3 2026. Inquiries from qualified candidates are welcome at advisory@nhaieffoundation.org.
Financial Accountability
Transparency & Public Reporting Commitment
The foundation is committed to full financial transparency and public accountability. All financial activities, governance decisions, and program outcomes are reported publicly and subject to independent oversight.
Annual Financial Report
Comprehensive annual report including audited financial statements, program outcomes, and governance activities. Published publicly and submitted to oversight bodies.
IRS Form 990 Disclosure
Full Form 990 filing publicly available within 60 days of submission, including executive compensation, program expenses, and governance disclosures.
Quarterly Outcomes Reports
Quarterly publications detailing pilot site performance metrics, cost-impact data, and program milestone progress. Available to all stakeholders and the public.
Independent Audit
Annual independent financial audit by a nationally recognized accounting firm, with audit findings published alongside the annual report.