Third Quarter, 2024

Partnering with Social Care Networks and the SHIN-NY to Advance Health-Related Social Needs Data Exchange

Earlier this month, the designated Social Care Networks (SCNs) to support New York’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver were announced. HealtheConnections is pleased to be partnering with three SCNs across the Hudson Valley, Southern Tier, and Central New York regions to address Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN): Hudson Valley Care Coalition, Care Compass Network, and Healthy Alliance, respectively. Each of these SCNs has contracted with UniteUs, a leader in social care coordination, to host their HRSN screening and referral platform for streamlined coordination and effective data collection.

In collaboration with the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and the five other Qualified Entities (QEs) of the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), HealtheConnections is participating in coordinated efforts to exchange HRSN data between the SCNs in our region and the SHIN-NY data lake.

Using synthetic data, HealtheConnections and our partners across the SHIN-NY recently completed a testing phase to establish reliable processes for seamless data flow between the SCNs and the SHIN-NY data lake. The next phase will be working directly with the 3 SCNs and UniteUs to exchange their HRSN data.

HealtheConnections will also work with hospital-based and ambulatory practices within its service area to collect data from HRSN screenings conducted within their systems. All HRSN data collected through these efforts will be accessible through the HealtheConnections platform for query, allowing for more comprehensive insights for care providers without the need for additional tools or systems.

HealtheConnections is committed to support the regional SCNs and play a key role in statewide efforts to meet the 1115 Waiver’s objectives, including HRSN data exchange, to improve health outcomes and care coordination for vulnerable populations.

This work directly supports the Medicaid 1115 Waiver efforts in NYS. Click here to learn more about the Waiver.

Addressing Maternal Health Data Gaps with Local Health Departments

Maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity—life-threatening complications during or after childbirth—remain pressing public health concerns, with many New York counties prioritizing efforts to reduce disparities in these health outcomes. The need for more detailed and timely data to effectively direct and evaluate maternal health programs is evident. To address this need, HealtheConnections convened a workgroup of local health department (LHD) representatives to discuss and identify these gaps in current maternal health data.

HealtheConnections’ health information exchange (HIE) contains data on more than 13 million patients throughout 26 counties of New York State. Using this vast repository of community-wide data, our team will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the availability and completeness of maternal health data around prenatal care, use of Doulas, conditions related to severe maternal morbidity, postpartum care, social vulnerability and demographics. The assessment will provide a clearer understanding of the data landscape within the HIE and help inform the development of interactive reports for LHDs. These reports will give LHDs direct access to the data needed to track and address maternal health disparities.

This initiative is supported in part by funding from the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), in response to direct feedback about local priorities gathered from LHDs in a recent statewide survey. HealtheConnections and the SHIN-NY remain committed to responding to the specific needs of LHDs and the priorities within their local communities.

HealtheConnections Welcomes Public Health Fellow to Support Local Health Departments

HealtheConnections is hosting a Public Health Fellow as part of the New York State Public Health Corps (NYSPHC) Fellowship Program, working closely with LHDs to gather input on their data needs, identify relevant data within the HIE, and create reports that provide timely, actionable information. This opportunity is made possible through a partnership with the Onondaga County Health Department, which has generously detailed one of its dedicated Fellows to work directly with HealtheConnections. The Fellow will help leverage HealtheConnections’ HIE data to support public health priorities.

Strengthening long-term relationships with LHDs and providing important, up-to-date health data to support their public health goals is central to HealtheConnections’ mission. This partnership represents an ongoing commitment to serving the evolving needs of LHDs throughout the HealtheConnections footprint.