INTRODUCTION: What is this Newsletter About?

Welcome to our State Agency Newsletter! As a non-profit organization primarily funded by the state, we are dedicated to being the primary resource for all your community care goals. We encourage you to always prioritize THINK CONNIE FIRST when striving to improve the health outcomes of the communities we serve.

Connie plays an essential role in facilitating a secure and appropriate exchange of electronic health information among healthcare providers, public health agencies, and other stakeholders involved in the care of Connecticut's residents.

We recognize the crucial role of state agencies in providing essential care to the community, from ensuring public health and safety to promoting the growth and development of children. These agencies also play a valuable part in supporting vulnerable members of the community to live fulfilling and productive lives, and we are thrilled to collaborate with them to achieve our shared goal of improving health outcomes for all.

In this newsletter, we will keep you updated on our latest initiatives and collaborations, share insights on the benefits of an HIE, and highlight how our platform is positively impacting the lives of patients across Connecticut. We also look forward to hearing from you and learning how Connie can assist you in achieving your data-driven goals.

Thank you for your interest in Connie and for aligning with our mission to improve the health of Connecticut through innovative technology. We hope you find this newsletter informative and valuable, and we look forward to working with you to create a healthier Connecticut!

Population Explorer:

Connecticut's Health Information Exchange Rolls Out an Exciting New Tool

Population Explorer is a new Connie tool, primarily designed to provide real-time insights into the health of patient populations. Instead of sifting through multiple systems, connected organizations can now see their patients’ recent encounters all in one place—right within the Connie Portal. New filtering options also make it easier to identify trends, spot gaps in care, and prioritize high-risk populations. This capability helps support data-driven decision making to enhance community health programs, assists with resource allocation and identify public health trends.

Population Explorer isn’t just another data tool—it’s a game-changer for care coordination and understanding health needs across the state, allowing for targeted interventions, state resource allocation, and policy development to improve health outcomes across Connecticut. 

The tool is also effective for individual patient care, offering a six-month patient history where users can click on a specific encounter and quickly access details like medication and care history. It’s an intuitive way to track patients across their healthcare journeys and ensure they’re getting the follow-up care they need. 

Powered by CRISP Event Notification Delivery (CEND), Population Explorer continuously updates to reflect patient encounters across Connie’s network. If a patient is discharged from the hospital, their care team will know right away, allowing them to schedule timely follow-ups and reduce the risk of readmission.  

Connie is already working on enhancements, including logic-based alerts to notify providers about overdue preventive screenings, such as colonoscopies and mammograms. These upcoming features will further support proactive care, ensuring patients receive necessary interventions before issues escalate. 

To learn more about the Population Explorer tool, read our blog or contact the Connie team at info@connieCT.org. 

Episode Quality Improvement Program (EQIP): How Maryland's Value-Based Care Initiative Saved $20M

We’re happy to point out this insightful byline by our tech partner, CRISP Shared Services, in Healthcare Business Today. In it, Megan Priolo and Jessica Heslop detail how Maryland's Episode Quality Improvement Program (EQIP), a value-based care (VBC) initiative under the state's innovative AHEAD model, saved $20 million in its first year by improving data sharing and care coordination. 

We were drawn to this piece because Connecticut is similarly approved for implementing the AHEAD model. In addition, Connecticut has been implementing other VBC models including one with home and community-based services programs.

We encourage you to follow the link to read the full article, but wanted to share this impactful excerpt here:  

“Initiatives such as EQIP show that better outcomes don’t have to cost more. The key to care coordination starts with an easy way to share data so that clinicians have the information they need to make appropriate care decisions.  

As more states are selected to participate in the AHEAD model, partnerships with organizations like CRISP are critical as they provide the level of technology expertise necessary to ensure that the prerequisite technical infrastructure is in place. This lays a foundation for deploying value-based care initiatives like this without putting undue administrative burden on participants or those that oversee these programs. It also helps ensure the technological capacity exists to keep participants informed on their progress, as this level of transparency is vital to sustaining buy-in. 

An ambitious effort such as EQIP would not be possible without close cooperation among state health agencies, hospital and medical groups and clinicians sharing data through a common HIE. As CMS seeks to move all Medicare recipients under value-based care arrangements by 2030, models like EQIP offer essential learnings about the power of collaborative data sharing in advancing higher-quality care at reduced cost.” 

Patient and Family Advisory Committee: Patients are Collaborative Partners in Connie's Health Information Exchange

Central to all Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) is a commitment to enhancing patient care and its service to the residents of its state. To meet the needs of Connecticut’s diverse patient population and help empower them on their care journeys, Connie has created the Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC). This council creates a feedback loop and fosters an open and collaborative environment in which patients can voice their opinions and share their experiences to help shape Connie’s decisions. 

Comprised of volunteer Connecticut residents, PFAC provides a platform for patients to share their unique experience with Connie. This space facilitates ongoing conversations to help the Connie team enhance tools as well as outreach initiatives and services. Whether improving patient access to their health data, investigating how to best reach Connecticut communities, or previewing new features and services, PFAC is an essential gateway that allows Connie leadership to listen more directly from the voices of patients in our community.  

To date, one of PFAC’s key contributions has been its informative beta-testing and feedback during the development of Patient Connect, a new portal which provides CT residents with secure electronic access to their health information at no cost. Connie Patient Connect is different from provider-based patient portals in that it does not enable patients to make appointments or currently communicate with their provider – instead, Patient Connect provides patients with one-stop access to their health data from different participating providers regardless of the electronic health record system the provider uses.  

In sharing their diverse experiences and feedback, PFAC members assist Connie leaders in reaching inclusive and patient-informed decisions as the HIE continues to change the healthcare landscape. PFAC input supports Connie’s efforts in providing patients with secure electronic access to their health information via voluntary participation at no cost. Since its establishment in 2024, PFAC has grown to 10 members and serves as a direct line to Connecticut’s patient community, helping shape Connie’s needs-responsive patient services.  

Connie's dedicated State Agency Newsletter is a valuable resource for staying up-to-date with how Connecticut and other states are leveraging HIEs to improve their programs. By providing timely and accurate data on the health of populations, HIEs can help agencies better target their resources and comply with state and federal regulations related to healthcare data exchange and reporting. As Connecticut's designated health information exchange, Connie is uniquely positioned to provide insights and updates on the latest trends and best practices in the industry.



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