At its June 14th meeting, the eHealth Commission approved a high level description of the desired future state presented by Mosaica Partners, the health information strategy consultants assisting OeHI develop Colorado’s Health Roadmap. The statements that make up the description will be to promote understanding of the Roadmap project and illustrate how the Roadmap will impact health care in Colorado once it is finalized and approved.

The following statements describe the desired state of the health care environment in Colorado when the Roadmap’s objectives have been achieved:

In approving the description, the eHealth Commission noted that the above statements were consistent with Colorado’s Triple Aim – best health, best care, best value.

The Governor's Office of eHealth Innovation invites health care professionals, medical providers, nurses, care coordinators, health IT professionals, other technology professionals, innovators and entrepreneurs, payers, consumers, social services and other agencies and individuals involved in Colorado’s healthcare ecosystem to participate in our Colorado Health IT Roadmap Public Forums. 

We value your input and feedback on the proposed Initiatives that represent the framework of Colorado’s emerging Health IT Roadmap. 

Please join us for 90 minutes at one of these FREE upcoming events:

CLICK here or the image below to REGISTER and for more information!

As the State Health IT Coordinator, I have the pleasure of working with both state and community leaders to widely-promote data sharing in support of Colorado's triple aim-best value, best health, and best cost. There are many ongoing efforts that are worth mentioning. Over the past year, The Office of eHealth Innovation (OeHI), Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), Department of Human Services (DHS), and Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) are working on making data sharing more efficient and effective. In fact, a standard data sharing agreement (DSA) is being piloted. The DSA is one agreement that can be updated for each new instance of data requested. Governing Data Advisory Board (GDAB) is also interested in leveraging this effort. GDAB was established in 2008 to establish and promote data sharing protocols across state agencies.

Why is data sharing so hard? Long story. But the short story is that data sharing is challenging because it requires trust and a framework to systematically exchange data. Both are challenging but not insurmountable. Until trust is wide-spread and systems are automated based on agreed upon rules, digestible or small demonstrations and pilots help break-through data silos and perceived regulation barriers. A few projects that come to mind include work that is funded by SIM, a four-year initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to integrate behavioral and physical health care in Colorado. One of SIM’s four pillars for successful healthcare reform is health information technology, and the team is funding improvements in providers’ abilities to share data more broadly as well to facilitate meaningful quality measurement and reporting that supports integrated care delivery and payment reform. Other great examples of data sharing include CDHS’ Joint Agency Interoperability Project which is focused on aligning disparate data and information systems to create a more holistic client view. AISP learning collaborative selected Colorado as one of the first states to receive technical assistance for an integrated data process and system. The learning collaborative begins in October and will focus on several Governor's Office and state agency initiatives. The interpretation of privacy rules and regulations also impacts how broadly data is shared. Outside of our state agencies, community partners are making incremental progress toward more efficient and effective ways to share information necessary for care delivery in a protected manner. Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) and Quality Health Network (QHN) have also completed Colorado's Advanced Interoperability Initiative awarded by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC).This grant was focused on sharing health information for individuals with mental illness and also in need of long term support services via two different consent models-patient and provider updated consent. The Mental Health Center of Denver, Colorado's Behavioral Health Council, and Mind Springs Health participated in this pilot effort and continue to work through regulations such as 42CFR Part 2 as to integrate physical and behavioral health information.

What’s next? The Office of eHealth Innovation is finalizing Colorado’s Health IT Roadmap and one of the key objectives is to enhance information and data sharing. The Roadmap will highlight existing efforts and provide guidelines and actionable plans to make sure clinicians, payers, and consumers have the right information at the right time to not only save cost but to improve health of our citizens. At a Federal level the 21st Century Cures Act establishes new rules related to data-blocking that that prohibit providers and others from data blocking. Expect to see collaborative guidance from the Governor’s Office, Office of eHealth Innovation/ eHealth Commission, Office of Information Technology (OIT) and State Innovation Model (SIM) in the coming weeks. Additionally our innovation community and community partners are working on new and exciting projects that involve data. Lastly, Colorado's Innovation Working Group chaired by Jeffrey Nathanson, CEO 10.10.10, Mary Anne Leach, Director of OeHI, and Morgan Honea, CEO CORHIO mapped out initial challenges and opportunities with information sharing and many other critical topics at Prime Health/OeHI's Innovation Summit earlier this Summer. Expect to hear more about this effort and many other data sharing initiatives in the coming year.

The Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) is hiring. Join an entrepreneurial team that is helping practices reform healthcare in meaningful ways! Learn more and apply today before time runs out: http://bit.ly/2vZg3WU.

Commissioner Spotlight 

Kendall Alexander 

Administrative Director of

North Range Behavioral Health

How did you get into your field, and what has your journey entailed?

"I've always known that I wanted to be in the profession of helping others. In college I took a psychology course and was fascinated and later went to work for an inpatient psychiatric hospital as a behavioral health tech. The inpatient social worker convinced me how important the job was and the overall need for social workers. I received a Bachelors in Psychology and a Master's in Social Work. I got into the field because I knew I wanted to help people."

What benefit do you think the eHealth Commission is bringing to the State of Colorado?

"The eHealth Commission aligns data requirements and expectations. Spending time in substance abuse for many years there is a different data requirements and funding mechanism from mental health. Hopefully we are setting up a paradigm umbrella where by our providers and systems all can take the same data. We can do outcomes studies, physical, mental substance abuse that data analytics can't do because they are coming from different systems."

What would you like to see the eHealth Commission tackle next?

"There is a lot on the table currently but would be interested in seeing the eHealth Commission focus on behavioral health and the use of data and 42CFR part 2 in regards to substance abuse data and restrictions."