Data standards initiatives and the Uniform Data Set (UDS) Modernization initiative aim to reduce reporting burden through easing data exchange, improve data quality, and better measure services and outcomes. In the coming years, health centers will be expected to use FHIR, a data standard that is becoming more common, to submit UDS+ along with other information (such as public health reporting). Experts involved in preparation for UDS+ and similar initiatives with CMS will join to share their experiences and reflect on what health centers should be aware of as they prepare for the future of UDS and other reporting

When clinical teams have information on patients' social risks (adverse social determinants of health), they can make care plan adjustments to account for those risks, e.g., by prescribing lower-cost medications. Come hear about a team that worked with stakeholders from primary care community health centers to develop a set of EHR-based tools intended to support making such adjustments in care for patients with hypertension and / or diabetes. This talk will describe the tool development process, results from pilot testing the tools in three clinic sites, and how the tools were revised in response to pilot process learnings.

Addressing patients’ social determinants of health via community resource referrals has historically primarily been the domain of social workers and information and referral specialists; however, community resource referral technology platforms have more recently entered the market. The process surrounding these community resource referrals and the role of technologies within it has not been fully accounted for just yet. Based on focus groups with  healthcare providers, and community organization staff and volunteers from 3 cities in Metropolitan Detroit, the process of community resource referral will be described. Findings reveal a deeply "sociotechnical" process (involving interwoven social and technology-based elements). The detailed sociotechnical process revealed will be discussed, along with the implications for those currently implementing community resource referrals. The importance of knowledge and skills, personal relationships, interorganizational networks, and data sources such as service directories in the referral process will be discussed.

Join the HITEQ Center to discuss approaches to balance patient confidentiality, sensitive situations, vulnerable populations, and meeting the provisions in CURES act and information blocking. How should health centers best prepare themselves and their staff to meet the information blocking provisions and better serve our patient population?

Patient engagement through electronic health apps are one solution to the need for timely and ongoing patient support. Join us to discuss a program to support mental health through an integrated behavioral health model using a mental health app at Cambridge Health Alliance. The session discussed how apps can address gaps in mental health care, the lessons learned in effective implementation of use of a mental health app in a safety-net clinic, and provide a rubric for evaluating health apps for your patients and use in your mental health service.

This session sought to motivate and educate Health Center staff and leadership on current critical cybersecurity threats, concepts, and methods for the defense of health data. A panel of cybersecurity experts addressed questions on how to best protect the health center from both internal and external network leaks, through malware such as ransomware, and through physical means on-site.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is an HL7® standard for electronic healthcare data exchange. This next generation exchange architecture is advancing interoperability in healthcare. FHIR provides a standard way to express and share information across health centers, providers, and related organizations independent of how local EHRs display or store data. For UDS+ and other information exchange needs, all health centers, PCAs, and HCCNs will want to be familiar with the basics of the HL7 FHIR standard. In this session we will discuss what FHIR is, what it basically does, how it impacts your EHR, and what it might mean to your health center and patients.

Access to care is the essential work of health centers, and one pain point is how to ensure specialty access for health center patients. This webinar will discuss innovation in specialty care access using technology and e-Consults. Electronic consultations (“e-consults”) are asynchronous, consultative, provider-to-provider communications within a shared electronic health record (EHR) or web-based platform. E-consults are intended to improve access to specialty expertise for patients and providers without the need for a face-to-face visit.  The Maven Project joined the webinar to talk about the particular challenges in specialty care access in health centers and how e-consults can both improve access and support clinicians, including to help to reduce stress and burnout. The Maven Project supports front-line providers in delivering comprehensive care to patients at health centers and community clinics nationwide.

The importance of effective pediatric immunization strategies cannot be understated at this moment in public health. Given all the potential barriers to access, how can technology support primary care in improving systems for effective vaccine uptake? Hear from Dr. Melissa Stockwell, whose research includes translational health IT interventions to promote vaccination as well as the use of large-scale, patient-centered communication technologies, like text messaging, for surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases and adverse events. Dr. Stockwell is Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Health and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) and Population and Family Health (Mailman School of Public Health). She is Founding Director of the Department of Pediatrics' Center for Children's Digital Health Research.

As health centers work towards providing more patient-centered and equitable care, they are increasingly adopting standardized social needs screening tools, such as PRAPARE and others, to systematically identify the challenges patients face in managing and improving their health, such as food and housing insecurity, transportation barriers, or safety concerns.  This information can be used to make impactful care planning and programmatic changes that lead to improvements in health outcomes, resource utilization, and reimbursement.  Data dashboards help analyze social determinants of health information in visual displays that deepen insights and trigger action towards addressing patient’s social needs, improving population health, and reducing inequities in care.

This webinar provided a foundational overview of social determinants of health dashboard design and presents case studies from health centers leading the way on use of social determinants of health data dashboards to build community partnerships, improve linkages to services outside the four walls of the clinic, and demonstrate the value-based impact of social needs services in improving the health, well-being, and quality of life of communities served.  One health center shared their experience building dashboards and using them in their clinic.