By Dr. Jay Anders, Chief Medical Officer, Medicomp Systems
LinkedIn: Jay Anders MD
LinkedIn: Medicomp Systems, Inc.
Host of Tell Me Where IT Hurts – #TellMeWhereITHurts
On this episode I am joined by Jolie Ritzo, MPH, CEO of Civitas Networks for Health. Ritzo is a longtime leader in public health, policy, and interoperability. She brings a grounded perspective on why nationwide data exchange remains complex, where progress is occurring, and what it will take to earn trust at scale.
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Meet the Guest
Jolie Ritzo, MPH, CEO of Civitas Networks for Health
LinkedIn: Jolie Ritzo, MPH
LinkedIn: Civitas Networks for Health
With over 15 years of experience, Jolie has led communications and marketing, government relations and advocacy, event strategy, and strategic planning for the organization. Jolie previously served as the VP of Strategy and Network Engagement for Civitas, Senior Director of Network Engagement for Civitas, and was the Director of Partnerships and Programs at the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI). Jolie also serves as President of the Crossroads Board of Directors, a nonprofit organization serving patients and families in Maine with addiction and behavioral health treatment.
Ritzo shares her professional journey from rural Maine to national health policy leadership, shaped early by firsthand exposure to gaps in access, transportation, and preventive care. After beginning her career in education, she transitioned into public health and, eventually, into integrated care delivery, where access to accurate, real-time data was paramount. Her work in chronic care management, community partnerships, and regional health improvement laid the foundation for her current role as the leader of Civitas Networks for Health.
Civitas represents a national community of more than 160 organizations, including health information exchanges (HIEs), community information exchanges, all-payer claims databases, and quality improvement organizations. Ritzo explains that these entities serve as essential health infrastructure, connecting data across care settings and geographies to support better decisions related to cost, quality, safety, and upstream drivers of health. While improvement efforts often begin locally, Civitas works to scale what works, share lessons learned, and reduce the need for communities to start from scratch.
Our conversation explores the current interoperability landscape, including the role of Qualified Health Information Networks, state and regional exchanges, and emerging federal initiatives. Ritzo emphasizes that while national frameworks continue to evolve, local intermediaries remain critical to governance, data quality, and trust. As she notes, successful exchange requires more than technology alone, but also relationships, shared accountability, and clear rules of engagement.
Ritzo and I also discuss the growing use of AI and ambient data capture in healthcare, along with the risks that come with expanding data flows. Ritzo highlights the importance of HIEs in standardizing, cleaning, and governing data so it can be safely used for clinical decision support, analytics, and automation. She acknowledges that the industry remains in what many describe as the “messy middle,” with meaningful progress underway and more work ahead.
The episode closes with a discussion of patient data portability, cost transparency, and the real-world consequences of fragmented information. Drawing on personal experience caring for a family member undergoing cancer treatment, Ritzo underscores how failures in communication across providers can quickly escalate into safety and financial concerns. Her vision centers on trust, collaboration, and practical progress that ultimately improves patient care and clinician confidence.
Among the topics covered:
- Jolie Ritzo’s path from rural public health to national interoperability leadership
- Civitas Networks for Health as a national nonprofit representing 160 community-based organizations
- Role of health information exchanges as core health infrastructure
- Balancing national interoperability frameworks with local governance and trust
- Data exchange challenges involving quality, duplication, and correction
- Importance of governance and oversight as AI adoption accelerates
- Patient data portability as an expectation across modern healthcare
- Federal momentum supporting interoperability, rural health, and modernization
- Magic wand wish: Addressing healthcare costs and price transparency
- And more…
Original source of content from Medicomp System’s blog and published here with permission.
About the Show
Join host Dr. Jay Anders on Tell Me Where IT Hurts as he sits down with experts from across healthcare and technology to discuss ways to improve EHR usability for end users. Dr. Anders and his guests explore opportunities to enhance clinical systems to make them work better for clinicians, reduce burnout, maximize revenue potential, and drive better patient care outcomes.
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