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2026 Message to the Community

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Positioned for What's Next,
Driven by Purpose

Professional headshot of a HealtheConnections team member

"As we look ahead, our mission remains clear: to support better care, better outcomes, and healthier communities through trusted data exchange and collaboration."

Elizabeth Amato
HealtheConnections
President and CEO

To our valued participants and partners:

2025 represented a defining period of change for HealtheConnections. As the needs of healthcare, public health, and community partners continue to evolve, we made deliberate, thoughtful decisions to strengthen our foundation, refine how we operate, and better position both our organization and the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) for the future.

Building on a multi-year strategic plan, this past year brought the culmination of a series of intentional initiatives that fundamentally reshaped HealtheConnections, opening up new possibilities for health information exchange in New York. By investing in innovative technologies, sustainable strategies, and meaningful partnerships, we are positioned for the next phase of growth and modernization.

Amid rapid industry change and increasing demands for agility in healthcare technology, we remain focused on continuous improvement and connection. Through close collaboration with our partners, we are creating a more connected, effective, and trusted health information network - one that supports better outcomes for individuals and communities statewide.

Key Focus Areas

2025 Impact, 2026 Vision

Expanding our data-centric foundation to power a more connected, intelligent network

We're redefining health information exchange through a cloud-native, FHIR-based, data-first platform that connects clinical, social, and population health data across the care continuum. This modular, interoperable foundation allows us to act faster, collaborate more effectively, and drive measurable improvements for portal users and participants.

  • Created and launched our next-generation HIE platform and portal interface built on FHIR, the gold standard in health data exchange.
  • Successfully migrated all users and data feeds and sunset the legacy HIE platform while ensuring continuity of services and data access our participants rely on.
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Looking Ahead through 2026

With this strong foundation, we're positioned to rapidly innovate to meet changing demands, including:

  • Enhance the HIE Portal applications and services for a faster, smoother user experience
  • Improve data quality to support more reliable insights and interoperability
  • Expand analytics and reporting capabilities to drive actionable decision-making

See the latest improvements on our HIE Release Notes page.

Supporting statewide progress with enhanced services and interoperability, quality data, and strategic collaboration

A high-performing statewide network demands aligned partnerships and a focus on interoperability. Working alongside state and regional stakeholders, we’ve enabled more seamless data connections, improved data quality and usability, and accelerated key initiatives to ensure health professionals across New York can access timely, trusted information.

  • Advanced Medicaid 1115 Waiver capabilities by enabling Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) data exchange and integration with providers to support social care integration and more informed decision-making across multiple regions.

HRSN Data Exchange Across Our Network in 2025

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  • Launched SHIN NY Statewide Encounter Alerts, delivering real time admission, discharge, and transfer (ADT) notifications from every hospital in New York State—regardless of which health information exchange is used—supporting proven improvements in care coordination, reduced readmissions, and more timely clinical intervention. Learn More

Statewide Encounter Alerts 2025 Launch-Phase Metrics

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  • Implemented the Primary Document Repository (PDR) for the SHIN-NY—a statewide initiative awarded and delivered reflecting HealtheConnections’ strong performance record, advanced technical capabilities, and leadership in secure, scalable health data exchange across New York State.

Looking Ahead through 2026

We will continue to support statewide collaboration and HIE innovation to:

  • Expand statewide alerting usage and capabilities, connecting more providers and health professionals
  • Advance HRSN data use and integration
  • Support SHIN-NY statewide reform initiatives
  • Strengthen data quality and participant collaboration

Leveraging data-driven insights to support population and public health priorities

HealtheConnections continues to support local and state health departments and community-based organizations (CBOs) with tools to help them analyze trends, coordinate care, target interventions, and make informed decisions. This work drives whole-person care, equity, and measurable improvements with real impact in our communities.

  • Collaborated with Inclusive Alliance to equip 50 CBOs across 8 counties, with guidance, use cases, and data access, as well as identifying key data needs to inform future tools and capabilities.
  • Partnered with Tioga County Public Health to deliver a real-time Birth Report used to close data gaps, provide out-of-state birth data, and enable timely insights that improves visibility into maternal and infant health.
  • Leveraged HIE data to support the NYS Coverdell Program—expanding access to social needs data for stroke patients and strengthening coordination across clinical and public health partners to improve stroke outcomes statewide.

Looking Ahead through 2026

Building on these established partnerships, we’re using HIE data and expertise to:

  • Launch and expand access to public health reports to identify trends, risks, and disparities
  • Roll out a Community Health Dashboard for all participants
  • Support Coverdell Stroke Grant Year 3 with new dashboards and reporting
  • Expand research partnerships to inform policy and drive innovation

Delivering secure, compliant, best-in-class services for a trusted, impactful network

Operational excellence is our standard. HealtheConnections delivered responsive, best-in-class HIE support and a high-quality experience, grounded in rigorous security, compliance, and financial stewardship standards our participants can trust.

  • Enhanced participant experience and customer service operations through refined operating procedures, expanded feedback channels, and clearer and more timely communication for a more consistent, high-quality service approach.
  • Achieved gold-standard certifications, including HITRUST r2 certification, reflecting continued refinement of security, infrastructure, and operations best practices. HealtheConnections continues to meet or exceed rigorous compliance standards.
  • Optimized internal operations and IT capabilities, introducing streamlined, scalable tools and systems for improved efficiency today and accommodating future growth.

Looking Ahead through 2026

Our focus remains on participation support, user experience, and maintaining a secure, agile foundation to:

  • Maximize participant value through targeted support, engagement, and actionable feedback
  • Provide seamless, high-quality service enabled by modern tools
  • Uphold strong security, compliance, and operational excellence standards

Our work has never been more important than it is today.

As we continue through 2026, HealtheConnections remains committed to its critical role in supporting informed, coordinated care and healthier communities. We will continue to invest in practical solutions, strengthen our partnerships, and focus on the high-impact initiatives that move us closer to a more connected and effective health information network across New York.

Thank you for your continued collaboration as we embark on this next chapter together.

With gratitude,

Elizabeth Amato
President & CEO

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Special thanks to our Board of Directors for continued guidance, support, and leadership.

OFFICERS

Paul Kaye, MD
Board of Directors Chairperson
Executive VP, Practice Transformation
Sun River Health

Seth Kronenberg, MD
Board of Directors Vice Chairperson
President & CEO
Crouse Hospital

Patricia Hale, MD, PhD, FACP, FHIMSS
Board of Directors Secretary
Consultant in Clinical Informatics

Martin Stallone, MD
Board of Directors Treasurer
EVP, Chief Healthcare Services Officer
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

MEMBERS

Kathryn Anderson, MD, PhD
Commissioner of Health
Onondaga County

Marisa Barbieri
CEO/Founder
Competitive Solutions, Inc.

Eric Brosius
VP, Technology Services
Sun River Health

Frank Eder, MD
Executive President
UHS Medical Group

Shannon Flood, CPA
Partner
FustCharles

Matt Glidden, MD
Chief Quality Officer
Upstate University Hospital

Kara Hines, DNP, RN, CHCIO
Associate VP of IT, Associate CIO
United Health Services

Felissa Koernig
CEO
Oneida Health

Digant Nanavati, MD
Partner
FamilyCare Medical Group

Joseph R. Maldonado, MD, MSc, MBA
Physician

Mark Muthumbi
Commercial Market Leader
Regional President CNY/ST
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

Amie Parikh
CEO
Hudson Valley Care Coalition

Ofrona Reid, MD
CEO
Syracuse Community Health

Judith Watson, RN, BSN, MPH
CEO
Westchester Community Health Center

Corey Zeigler
Chief Information Officer
Helio Health