Collaborations with the NYS Department of Health Showcase the Value of HIE Data
Innovative Chronic Disease Grant
At the end of September, HealtheConnections will complete its fifth and final year of activities supported by New York State’s Innovative Chronic Disease grant, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The overall goal of the CDC grant was to develop and test new approaches to address evidence-based strategies aimed at reducing the risks, complications, and barriers to the prevention and control of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in high-burden populations.
HealtheConnections was one of three QEs that worked closely with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to demonstrate the value of health information exchanges developing population-level prevalence estimates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, creating clinical registries and hosting chronic disease referral platforms. Together we developed standards for the measures and shared best practices.
Colonoscopy Proof of Concept Grant
HealtheConnections successfully completed a project to assess whether HIE data could be used to create a Regional Colonoscopy Registry with funding from the NYSDOH and Health Research Incorporated. A colonoscopy registry could help providers quickly review a patient’s history of colonoscopy and assess eligibility.
Our findings demonstrated valuable insights into the strengths and limitations of colonoscopy data within our HIE. While the data we have are clearly useful for this purpose, further collaboration with healthcare providers could improve the completeness of the data we receive. Our state partners found the project worthwhile in identifying areas for improvement and understanding the full potential of our data.
