letter to the community
Dear Participants, Partners, and Stakeholders,
It is so rewarding to look back at the steep trajectory HealtheConnections has maintained over the past twelve years, navigating changes in healthcare technology, delivering value to providers and their patients, and even operating through this unprecedented public health crisis. The effects of these challenging years are still all around us, but as I reflect on 2021, I am proud of the commitment from our teams and partners who have continued to advance our mission.
The challenge is, how does an organization keep moving forward when the world around us is changing so rapidly? Our answer: Focus on the fundamentals.
A commitment to foundational values and operational principles has been the key to propelling us forward through difficult times with persistence and diligence.
We focus on approaches that have been proven to work: Forging mutually beneficial partnerships with participants, partners, and stakeholders to collect, organize, access, and understand data; investing in services that support population and public health applications, including addressing disparities in social determinants of health; and continually building on the successes of our past to deliver excellent health information exchange services. In 2021, this mindset was more critical than ever.
2021 Key Accomplishments
Improving Data Quality, Access, and Contribution
- Accredited by NCQA as a validated data aggregator in support of high-quality data and use of data in HEDIS® measurement
- Supported NYS Executive Order for lab data sharing
- Implemented new data feeds and integrations with participating
organizations and EMR vendors
Fostering Strong Partnerships
- Collaborated with organizations like the Lantana Consulting Group and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to advance population and public health efforts surrounding chronic disease and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
- Partnered with the NYS Arthritis program to help increase physical activity counseling and referrals to evidence-based interventions for adults
Supporting Population & Public Health Improvement
- Successfully completed multiple grant work plans in support of SDOH and chronic disease management and prevention
- Awarded a 4th year of Health Research Institute/NYS Dept of Health Innovative Chronic Disease Grant for 2022
Developing Innovative Services
- Launched COVID-19 vaccination resources, reports, alerts, and more in support of public and medical health professionals
- Developed unsolicited alerting to help hospitals improve long-term clinical outcomes for patients
- Implemented data feeds to exchange information among other regional health information organizations in NYS
Maintaining High Operational Standards
- Re-certified as a SHIN-NY entity and met HITRUST security standards
- Achieved compliance with ONC information blocking rule under the Cures Act
- Launched updated logo and brand standards to better reflect who we are as a company
Increased participation, data contribution, and data access on a daily basis are central to continued growth and delivering value to participants and their communities.
We’ve said it before and will say it again: The right information at the right time improves patient care and personalized treatment, provides faster, more accurate diagnoses and preventive measures, lowers costs, and simplifies internal operations. Every year, we are adding more participants into the network across our 26-county service area, increasing the volume of data in the exchange, and expanding access and usage of services.
participating organizations
licensed
physicians participating
locations connected
organizations contributing data
patients with records in the exchange
30% increasepatients’ records received per month
45% increaseunique patients accessed per month
patient consents
15% increase
clinical alerts
per month
clinical summary documents received per month
image studies received per month
results delivered per month
We look to the future with a compelling vision and clear path forward.
Once again, we find ourselves at an inflection point; our expansive, integrated network contains an impressive set of high-caliber data perfectly positioned to be used in new, exciting ways. We will continue to maintain strict data quality standards so our users can trust the information they receive from our systems and applications. The true value of health information exchange lies in turning data into actionable information that enables better decision-making at the patient, organization, and even population levels.
A critical component to maintaining the growth and viability of HIE now and into the future is acknowledging how valuable and versatile this data can be, building infrastructure, processes, and services that allow us to organize, understand, and ultimately apply information for the betterment of our communities. HealtheConnections’ primary focus will be to reinforce a data-centric mindset to all areas of our business and its systems, broadening our health information exchange scope and further supporting our region as an integrated, agile data company.
As always, we are steadfast in our mission to enable improvements for healthier people, better care, and cost efficiencies. On behalf of the entire HealtheConnections team, we thank all of you for your continued support and partnership.
With appreciation,
Rob Hack, President & CEO
2022 Focus Areas
Continue dedicated data quality improvements, including accreditations and certifications
Enhance and create tools and applications to support community need
Partner with other New York State entities on grant-funded initiatives to address of Social Determinants of Health in our communities
Continued efforts in support of public health surveillance and research activities
Enhance and develop services and processes to support unique business applications
Optimize system performance, operations, and monitoring for a healthy exchange
Increase participation, data sharing, usage, and adoption of HIE services
