Connecting Healthcare - Connie's Quarterly Newsletter
A WORD FROM JENN SEARLS:
Celebrating 2 Years of Connie and Meeting
State Mandates
May 3rd, 2023 is a significant day for Connie for two reasons. Firstly, it is the two-year anniversary of Connie's launch, a milestone that we are proud to celebrate. Secondly, it marked the deadline to apply to begin your connection with Connie. We have been working hard to support providers in meeting the deadline and are pleased to report that we have welcomed so many new participating organizations to Connie! 

Since our launch on May 3, 2021, we have connected with 30 hospitals, all of whom are fully committed to contributing data to our platform. Through their commitment to interoperability as well as hundreds of other organizations, we are securely exchanging critical healthcare information in support of more than 4.2 million patients. This is a testament to the value and potential of our technology in transforming healthcare.   

In addition to those organizations that were early adopters and leaders in interoperability in the state, more than 700 organizations signed contracts in the past year. This substantial engagement demonstrates our healthcare community's desire to collectively advance the access, flow, and quality of healthcare information. We are grateful for the trust our participating organizations have placed in us and remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that drive better patient outcomes.  

Since we first started, we’ve done more than exchange documents among healthcare providers. We’ve continued to improve and enhance our portal and our services. We introduced the Best Possible Medication History, a first-of-its-kind feature which offers healthcare professionals a consolidated and streamlined view of the medication history of a patient in Connie, leading to improved patient safety and care. We integrated images seamlessly through our Image Exchange as a service in the portal to provide a more efficient experience for our users – this year we’re planning on expanding our images beyond radiology to help support more providers and patients in their transitions and coordination of care.  

Thanks to the unwavering support and trust of our participants, we are more committed than ever to improving healthcare in Connecticut through data sharing. As we continue to innovate, we promise to keep you informed and engaged with the latest updates on Connie and our journey toward a healthier future.  

Thank you for your confidence and continued partnership. 

NEW PARTICIPANTS ARE JOINING CONNIE EVERY DAY
We are excited to announce that as of April 2023, we are connected with hundreds of participating organizations who are securely exchange data on 4.2+ million patients. Of those participating organizations (POs), we would like to highlight some of our newly connected partners that are sharing data through Connie. Be sure to check out our Connected Participating Organizations Dashboard to see our growing list of connected organizations and discover what they're sharing!
YOU'VE MET THE MANDATE, NOW WHAT?
Great job on connecting with Connie! With this connection, you now have access to a secure, comprehensive, and streamlined health information resource that offers a holistic view of your patients. That's excellent news, and there's even more you can achieve with Connie's services. Our aim is to help you provide the most informed care possible by utilizing all the available tools. Let us demonstrate how you can leverage the services that Connie has to offer.  

We want to ensure that your organization maximizes the benefits of its connection with Connie. To achieve this, we have provided you with a vast collection of resources and training materials, readily available in our Resource Library. These materials range from service overviews, user guides, and video tutorials that feature step-by-step walkthroughs with a Connie Account Manager, aimed at providing you with an in-depth understanding of Connie's services. We highly recommend that you subscribe to our YouTube channel to be updated on our latest videos. Explore our library and learn how to fully leverage Connie's services to improve your patient care.  

If you're in the process of connecting with Connie but haven't accessed our data-rich Health Information Exchange yet, we recommend exploring our Resource Library and Onboarding Information Packet. These resources provide a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and applications of our services, helping you prepare for a successful connection.  

Do you want to see who else is connected to Connie and what they're sharing?
Check out our Connected Organizations Dashboard to stay informed and optimize your connection with Connie! 

To ensure that our onboarded organizations can make the most of the Health Information Exchange, we're excited to add a Clinical Applications Trainer to the Connie team. This expert will serve as a crucial link between the theoretical aspects of Connie and its practical implementation. The Clinical Applications Trainer will facilitate the transition from onboarding with your Account Manager to internal workflow adoption by providing personalized training options including online, classroom, and one-on-one instruction. The primary goal for this position will be to foster maximum utilization of Connie's tools and services within your organization, helping to enhance healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes.  

If you haven't connected yet, don't worry! You can still take advantage of the benefits and services Connie offers to help you improve patient care and enhance the health and well-being of Connecticut by filling out a Commitment to Connect form and beginning your onboarding process.
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIAL
"All of our providers are thrilled with Connie. One of the biggest hurdles we had included a hospital that a majority of our clients used that had siloed data. We had no way to access it, making communications very difficult, but now that they participate in Connie we are able to get labs, admissions, discharges, and follow-up notes. Connie has made the lives of our providers easier! " 

Zach Dauphinais, MS
Clinical Informatics Manager, United Services, Inc.  

UCONN HEALTH JOINS CONNIE'S STATEWIDE IMAGE SHARING NETWORK, STREAMLINING DATA AND ADVANCING PATIENT CARE
We are excited to announce that UConn Health is now sharing radiology images with Connie, Connecticut’s state-designated health information exchange. This means that all treating providers, regardless of location, are now able to see UConn Health's images in their patient's clinical information within Connie.  

Since April 10th, Connie has already cached and made viewable over 24,000 images from UConn Health. This new capability alleviates the need for UConn providers to manually send patient images to other providers, which streamlines the process of obtaining medical records and expedites patient care.  

UCONN Health is the sixth hospital to go live with image sharing joining Bristol, Sharon, New Milford, Norwalk and Danbury. Sharing radiology images is an important step forward in improving healthcare communication and collaboration in Connecticut, ultimately resulting in better patient outcomes. We are proud to be part of this innovative and impactful initiative. 
INTRODUCING OUR STATE AGENCY NEWSLETTER!
"Think Connie First"
We are excited to launch the dedicated State Agency Newsletter, THINK CONNIE FIRST. This newsletter will serve as a go-to resource for Connecticut's state agencies in achieving their data-driven, community care goals. By utilizing Connie's HIE technology, Connie can support state agencies in their work to provide services to our state’s residents. For example, Connie can leverage its portal technology to help build dashboards to enable Home and Community Based Service providers to better track their clients’ progress towards achieving their patient-centered goals. This, in turn, will foster team-based care for Medicaid members and eventually, the goal of reducing avoidable hospitalizations.
   
State agencies are vital in providing care to the community, ranging from public health protection to supporting the development of children and aiding vulnerable community members in living productive lives. The goal of THINK CONNIE FIRST is to collaborate with state agencies to enhance health outcomes for all Connecticut residents.
  
The newsletter will provide the latest updates on Connie's initiatives and collaborations while offering insights into the benefits of an HIE and demonstrating how our platform positively impacts the lives of patients across the state. 
NEW LOOK, MORE INFORMATION, BETTER FUNCTIONALITY
The new and improved Connie 2.0 website is underway and making great progress! Our team has been working hard to create a fresh new look with special features designed for both patients and healthcare organizations. These features include a Progress Display to show the status of healthcare organizations connected with Connie, revamped FAQs, and easy-to-navigate pages with tailored information for patients and providers.   

Healthcare organizations will benefit from our variety of materials and information to get a deeper understanding of Connie, including brand new use cases to highlight how Connie services can be used to solve specific, real-life challenges and improve patient outcomes and the revamped Resources page, which has been recreated as Connie University, a one-stop-shop for resources, tools, and training materials to stay informed and equipped on Connie updates and services. Be sure to watch our step-by-step walkthrough video tutorials with a Connie Account Manager to help you explore and apply Connie services. Keep checking our site for new videos or subscribe to our YouTube channel!   

Last but not least, we've added a chatbot to the new website to provide instant answers to Connie questions! The chatbot answers commonly asked questions and will help visitors navigate the website without the need to wait for a Connie representative.   

Are you interested in getting a special first look at the new website? We are asking for volunteers to test drive the new website and provide valuable feedback on the end user experience. If you are interested in this opportunity, fill out our Contact Us Form and select the last check box “Website 2.0 Test User Volunteer” and we’ll reach out in the next few weeks to set that up! 
WELCOME OUR NEW TEAM MEMBER
As Connie continues to grow, so does our talented and dedicated team. We're excited to welcome Melissa Shuster to the team as Program Assistant for Provider Organization Relations and Outreach. Melissa joined Connie in April and is working with Kary Nulisch to directly support the Account Management Team. 
“I look forward to working with the team at Connie to provide health information technology that will benefit both the providers and the residents of Connecticut. Within just a few days of working here everyone has been nothing but welcoming and very helpful in getting me onboarded. I am thrilled to be a part of this company!"


- Melissa Shuster
CELEBRATING CONNIE ANNIVERSARIES
We're excited to celebrate important workaversaries for three members of the team! Tiffany Magennis, Gwen Reyes, and Traci Townsan are celebrating their two-year anniversaries at Connie, and we asked them to share their thoughts and greatest lessons learned during their time here. Thank you for all that you do! 
"Throughout my two years at Connie, I can honestly say there has never been a dull moment! The biggest lesson I've learned is that with the right team you can accomplish anything. It's been inspiring to see how dedicated everyone is to Connie's mission, and I'm excited to see its future!"
"During my time with Connie I have become so grateful for working with such a positive and supportive team. The collaboration in this team to meet Connie’s goals of improving the healthcare data landscape is impressive and awe-inspiring. The biggest lesson I learned is that the time and effort to build the right team to achieve our company’s goals has been incredibly valuable."
“In my two years at Connie, I’ve learned to have faith in the power of teamwork. No task is impossible! It has been so exciting seeing Connie grow with over 900 organizations signed on. I’m looking forward to getting all participants connected and realizing the benefit that sharing data can have on patient lives.”
YOUR OPINION MATTERS!
If you're a regular Connie user and would like to provide us with some feedback on our current services, we would love to hear from you! Please take 2 minutes to complete our survey below. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
Address: 10 North Main Street, Suite 6
West Hartford, CT 06107 
Phone: (888) 783-4410
NOTE: You are receiving this newsletter because you either subscribed to our email list and/or are an active or prospective participant with Connie, Connecticut’s state-designated Health Information Exchange. While you are welcome to unsubscribe at any time, we hope you will remain on our mailing list, where you will receive Connie's latest updates, featured benefits, industry news, policy changes, health IT trends, service rollouts, and so much more.