A WORD FROM JENN SEARLS:

January marks the start of Connie’s second quarter, and I’m grateful for the steady progress our team is making toward the goals we set together with our board. As I’ve shared in earlier newsletters, our three-year strategic plan centers on five strategic initiatives. In this letter, I’d like to focus on two areas that will have meaningful impact this year: strengthening the utility of the health data we collect and maintaining operational excellence. 

Enhancing the Utility of Health Data   

The Office of Health Strategy has been working closely with many partners to finalize regulations for Connecticut’s health information exchange. These upcoming changes will affect both Connie and the organizations who share data with us. Under updated state law, organizations not yet connected will have 18 months to join once the regulations are published. In preparation, our Account Management team is thoughtfully updating workflows and documentation to make onboarding as smooth and supportive as possible for our healthcare partners. 

An important part of improving data utility is ensuring high-quality data. Thanks to a generous grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation, we are implementing a data quality platform from Clinical Architecture. This tool will help us more easily identify where data quality can be strengthened and provide clear guidance to organizations on how to make improvements. Russ Dexter’s newest blog post offers a great overview for anyone interested in learning more. 

Maintaining Operational Excellence 

You’ll also see us leaning more intentionally into AI this year. AI seems to be everywhere these days, and we believe that—when used thoughtfully and responsibly—it has real potential to support both patients and providers in Connecticut. 

To guide this work, we’ve developed an AI governance framework that our board is reviewing now. As presented at the January Health IT Advisory Council meeting, it includes the creation of an AI Evaluation Committee to help us assess use case proposals. The goal is simple: ensure that every potential AI effort aligns with the values we hold—strategic alignment, safety and responsibility, privacy, reliability, equity, transparency, and compliance. 

These initiatives represent some of the key work guiding us this year, and I’m grateful for the dedication each of you brings to making Connie stronger for the people we serve. As always, I welcome your thoughts, questions, or ideas at jenn.searls@conniect.org. 

UPCOMING WEBINARS FOR PROSPECTIVE AND CONNECTED ORGS!

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Hosted by a Connie Account Manager, this session will highlight new tools, features, and services, go over tips to maximize Connie data, and give a live Q&A to answer all questions Connie!



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The Timeline View feature was introduced to the Connie Laboratory tab, making it easier to identify trends in lab results over time. For a more flexible experience, users can toggle between the new Timeline View and the original List View. Learn more about Connie tools and services at Connie University! 

Data in the Workflow = Better Behavioral Health Outcomes 

A recent West Virginia Health Information Network (WVHIN) case study shows how real-time HIE data helps a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic lower repeat ER visits and improve follow-up, especially for Medicaid members.  

Using WVHIN’s Population Explorer, Valley HealthCare System teams receive encounter alerts and linked lab/vitals data, enabling rapid outreach to frequent patients and a consistent follow-up process: contact within 24 hours, plan review within four days, and 75% follow-up attendance across the past year.  

Results include a 60% reduction in ER admissions per patient, 40% improvement in overall ER load, and a drop in 30-day repeat ER visits (from nine to two patients quarter-over-quarter). 

Connie provides similar capabilities in Connecticut through its partnership with CRISP Shared Services. Read our blog or contact us for more information!

CONNIE NEWS

Last quarter, Connie was featured in an exciting press release announcing an initiative to use PIQXL Gateway to improve the usability and quality of shared patient data. PIQXL Gateway is a data quality platform by Clinical Architecture, and scores the quality of patient medical data using the Patient Information Quality Improvement (PIQI) framework. This will allow Connie to evaluate patient clinical messages on a large scale and trace the origins of any data quality issues, which will enhance data accuracy. Read all about it here!

At Connie, patients are at the heart of our mission of enhancing the health and well-being of Connecticut residents using health information technology services. As we close out another productive quarter, we want to take a moment to shine a spotlight on the incredible individuals on the Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC) who have dedicated their valuable time, insights, and genuine care for healthcare delivery in our state.

By sharing their personal experiences and perspectives, PFAC has supported Connie’s efforts in understanding and meeting the needs of patients everywhere in Connecticut.   

We thank you and look forward to a new year of collaboration! 

Last quarter, the Connie team attended two exciting health conferences to represent the HIE and share its benefits. The Connie team attended the New England Rural Health Association Conference for the first time in November. In December, Amanda Crociata, Director of Account Management and Russell Dexter, Director of Analytics and Data Quality presented their work on Transforming Healthcare Through Data Equity and Integration at the CT Data Conference.

At both events, the team was pleased to meet with other leaders and innovators and highlighted how Connie can enhance more equitable and efficient data across Connecticut. From discussing the challenges of rural healthcare in the state to diving into data trends, these events presented great opportunities for Connie to shine and share how the HIE can be invaluable to health organizations, whether they serve Stamford or Salisbury.

The start of a new year is the perfect time for patients to assess health goals, and using Connie Patient Connect, patients can be empowered, active collaborators with their care team to achieve them! Connie Patient Connect is a free, secure, and user-friendly patient portal that allows patients to see their health information across all of their providers, regardless of what EMR is used.  

Connie Patient Connect enables patients to: 

• View daily updates, so they can view their health information, updated from their healthcare providers. 
• Allow caretakers and family members authorized by the patient to access their health data to manage their care. 
• Create their own custom downloadable reports, so patients can track, organize, and share their own health data from their health records, like medication lists or lists of their visits to different providers. 
• Personalize their information to add appointments, to-do lists, and additional information, like over-the-counter medications or blood pressure results they've taken at home. 

To learn more about the Patient portal, visit Connie’s website here!

NEW PARTICIPANTS ARE JOINING CONNIE EVERY DAY!

We continue to connect hundreds of participating organizations (POs) that securely exchange data for millions of Connecticut patients through Connie. Recent go-lives include a new EMR HUB with Nextech. Images are now live from Harold Leever Regional Cancer Center, and two SNFs went live: Whitney Rehabilitation Care Center and Curtis Home. Visit the Connected Participating Organizations Dashboard to explore our growing network and the data being shared.

DID YOU KNOW..?

You can now opt into the RoundUp program to donate digital spare change to Connie!

Using RoundUp Donations is easy. These automatic, tax-deductible donations are simple to set up online using this link: https://www.roundup.org/nonprofit/ct/west-hartford/connie-ct-health-information-alliance-inc  

CHECK OUT OUR LATEST PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIALS

"We value the real-time data provided by Connie, especially the ability to access information on patient admissions and discharges. Having timely access to discharge summaries and lab results has significantly improved our efficiency and continuity of care."

Nicole Hauzeur, Practice Administrator | Waterbury Health

“Being able to log in to Connie every morning when I arrive to see changes and appropriately prepare for residents next steps for future return is beneficial as it eliminated the last minute scramble to get things in order before a return to the building."

Whitney Zajac RN Director of Nursing  | Elmbrook Village at Bozrah

We’re shining the spotlight on Bethany Mifsud, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Account Manager at Connie! 

Bethany supports home and community-based organizations as they onboard with Connie’s HCBS Tool and works closely with many of our key accounts and behavioral health partners to ensure meaningful connection and use of Connie’s services. 



She brings a strong clinical perspective to her work and is an invaluable partner to the organizations she supports. We’re grateful to have Bethany on the Connie team!  

YOUR OPINION MATTERS!

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