Maine's health information exchange is participating in a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiative to establish clinical standards and protocols that HIEs can use to report de-identified, population-level preventive care data.
The program, Demonstrating the Preventative Care Value of Health Information Exchanges, uses clinical quality measures that healthcare providers must report to CMS, such as the percentage of diabetics with sugar levels under control and the percentage of adult hypertension patients whose blood pressure was checked during their most recent medical visit. Maine's HIE will then de-identify, aggregate and securely transmit the clinical quality measures to the Maine CDC, which can use the data to inform statewide public health and disease prevention strategies, according to the release.
"We believe that by making information on existing clinical quality measures available on an aggregate basis, we can help public health officials at the state and local levels better understand the unique population health challenges in their community," said Taha Kass-Hout, MD, director of CDC's division of informatics solutions and operations, in the report. "This specific program will work to create the technical infrastructure needed to transmit this data on a secure and reliable basis to state and local jurisdictions," said Dr. Kass-Hout.
Maine's HIE, run by HealthInfoNet, was chosen to participate in the program because of its organizational maturity and technology leadership, according to the release.
Building a Robust, Sustainable Health Information Exchange: Case Study with Northeast Georgia Health System, HealtheConnect
AHIMA: 3 Ways Health IT Professionals Can Ensure Data Integrity in HIEs
The program, Demonstrating the Preventative Care Value of Health Information Exchanges, uses clinical quality measures that healthcare providers must report to CMS, such as the percentage of diabetics with sugar levels under control and the percentage of adult hypertension patients whose blood pressure was checked during their most recent medical visit. Maine's HIE will then de-identify, aggregate and securely transmit the clinical quality measures to the Maine CDC, which can use the data to inform statewide public health and disease prevention strategies, according to the release.
"We believe that by making information on existing clinical quality measures available on an aggregate basis, we can help public health officials at the state and local levels better understand the unique population health challenges in their community," said Taha Kass-Hout, MD, director of CDC's division of informatics solutions and operations, in the report. "This specific program will work to create the technical infrastructure needed to transmit this data on a secure and reliable basis to state and local jurisdictions," said Dr. Kass-Hout.
Maine's HIE, run by HealthInfoNet, was chosen to participate in the program because of its organizational maturity and technology leadership, according to the release.
More Articles on HIEs:
Wheeling Hospital, West Virginia University Healthcare Pilot Health Information NetworkBuilding a Robust, Sustainable Health Information Exchange: Case Study with Northeast Georgia Health System, HealtheConnect
AHIMA: 3 Ways Health IT Professionals Can Ensure Data Integrity in HIEs