Some people in our industry have an impact that's hard to measure simply by looking at the positions they’ve held or the projects they’ve led. You see it in the organizations they’ve helped shape; the progress they’ve made possible and, perhaps most importantly, the people they’ve influenced along the way.

Alix Goss is one of those people.

I’ve had the privilege of knowing and working with Alix for many years, and during her time at Point-of-Care Partners, I’ve had an even closer view of the expertise, leadership, and generosity she brings to her work. Following the official HL7 Da Vinci Project leadership transition announcement, I wanted to share the news more broadly with the health IT community and, more importantly, celebrate Alix and the lasting impact of her career.

After a distinguished career advancing healthcare interoperability, standards, national and regional health information exchange and health IT policy, Alix will retire from Point-of-Care Partners on September 30.

It’s bittersweet news for those of us fortunate enough to have worked with her. We will miss Alix tremendously, but I’m also genuinely excited for her as she steps into a well-earned next chapter with more time for the people and things she loves.

Over nearly two decades, Alix has established herself as a nationally recognized leader in interoperability, standards, health information exchange, and health IT policy. She has advised government and industry, helped shape standards and policy, built consensus among stakeholders who didn’t always begin from the same place, and remained steadfastly focused on making healthcare work better for the people it serves.

Her résumé only tells part of the story.

Alix helped architect Pennsylvania’s statewide health information exchange strategy and went on to serve as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Authority and Pennsylvania Health IT Coordinator. She served two four-year terms on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, chaired ASC X12’s Insurance Subcommittee, chaired HL7 International’s Policy Advisory Committee and served on the Executive Steering Committee of FAST, helping guide its transition to an industry-led HL7 Accelerator.

At POCP, many people know Alix best through her leadership of the HL7 Da Vinci Project. Most recently, she guided Da Vinci through a period of growth and impact as the community advanced some of the industry’s most important work to make health data exchange more interoperable, scalable, and useful in support of value-based care.

She has received plenty of well-deserved recognition along the way, including WEDI’s HIT Government Champion Award and Louis Sullivan Award and ONC’s Fabulous Partner Award. But awards don’t fully capture Alix’s impact.

A legacy that includes people

One of the things I appreciate most about Alix is how generous she has been with her knowledge and experience. She has mentored colleagues, developed emerging leaders, and shared the history and context that help others carry the work forward.

Succession planning is a normal part of professional life, and both Alix and POCP have been thoughtful about it. Over the past several years, we’ve made strategic hires and continued to build depth across our teams, knowing that talented people eventually retire, pursue new opportunities, or simply decide it’s time for their next chapter.

Da Vinci is a great example. Casey Thompson, a nurse informaticist, joined the project as Program Coordinator and has worked closely with Alix while steadily taking on greater responsibility across project activities and use case development. Alix has been intentional about preparing Casey to succeed her, helping ensure a smooth transition and maintain the project’s momentum. Casey will now assume the Da Vinci Project Program Manager role, supported by the strong, experienced Da Vinci PMO already in place.

That same philosophy has extended across POCP. We have an experienced bench of leaders and subject matter experts, and Alix’s mentorship has made that bench even stronger.

An extraordinary next chapter

None of that means Alix is replaceable. She isn't, and I wouldn't diminish what she has contributed by pretending otherwise.

What it means is that part of Alix's legacy is leaving the work, and the people doing it, stronger than she found them.

On a personal level, I am incredibly grateful to Alix for everything she has given POCP during her tenure with us: her leadership, her counsel, her willingness to tackle hard problems, her commitment to collaboration and, most importantly, her friendship.

Of course, I'm sad for us. We will miss having her expertise and perspective available every day.

But mostly, I'm excited for Alix. After a career spent giving so much of herself to this industry, she has earned the opportunity to spend more time with the people she loves and decide what she wants this next chapter to look like.

Alix, thank you for everything you've done for POCP, for the communities you've served and for healthcare.

You've made a difference, and you've left a legacy that will continue well beyond September 30.

Cheers to Alix, and to all the adventures ahead!