Resource Profile: The Regenstrief Institute COVID-19 Research Data Commons (CoRDaCo)

The primary objective of the COVID-19 Research Data Commons (CoRDaCo) is to provide broad and efficient access to a large corpus of clinical data related to COVID-19 in Indiana, facilitating research and discovery. This curated collection of data elements provides information on a significant portion of COVID-19 positive patients in the State from the beginning of the pandemic, as well as two years of health information prior its onset. CoRDaCo combines data from multiple sources, including clinical data from a large, regional health information exchange, clinical data repositories of two health systems, and state laboratory reporting and vital records, as well as geographic-based social variables. Clinical data cover information such as healthcare encounters, vital measurements, laboratory orders and results, medications, diagnoses, the Charlson Comorbidity Index and Pediatric Early Warning Score, COVID-19 vaccinations, mechanical ventilation, restraint use, intensive care unit and ICU and hospital lengths of stay, and mortality. Interested researchers can visit ridata.org or email [email protected] to discuss access to CoRDaCo.

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Findings from 2017 on Health Information Management

Yearbook of Medical Informatics ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1667072 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (01) ◽

pp. 067-073

Author(s):

Meryl Bloomrosen ◽

Eta Berner ◽

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Information Management ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Health Informatics ◽

Health Information Exchange ◽

Health Information Management ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Major Theme ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Exchange Governance

Objective: To summarize the recent literature and research and present a selection of the best papers published in 2017 in the field of Health Information Management (HIM) and Health Informatics. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed by the two HIM section editors of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook with the help of a medical librarian. We searched bibliographic databases for HIM-related papers using both MeSH descriptors and keywords in titles and abstracts. A shortlist of 15 candidate best papers was first selected by section editors before being peer-reviewed by independent external reviewers. Results: Health Information Exchange was a major theme within candidate best papers. The four papers ultimately selected as ‘Best Papers’ represent themes that include health information exchange, governance and policy issues, results of health information exchange, and methods of integrating information from multiple sources. Other articles within the candidate best papers include these themes as well as those focusing on authentication and de-identification and usability of information systems. Conclusions: The papers discussed in the HIM section of IMIA Yearbook reflect the overall theme of the 2018 edition of the Yearbook, i.e., the tension between privacy and access to information. While most of the papers focused on health information exchange, which reflects the “access” side of the equation, most of the others addressed privacy issues. This synopsis discusses these key issues at the intersection of HIM and informatics.

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How could health information exchange better meet the needs of care practitioners?

Applied Clinical Informatics ◽

10.4338/aci-2014-06-ra-0055 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 05 (04) ◽

pp. 861-877 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

R. Kaushal ◽

J.R. Vest ◽

P. Kierkegaard

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Health Information ◽

Patient Information ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Health Information Exchange ◽

Point Of Care ◽

New York State ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Healthcare Organizations ◽

York State

SummaryBackground: Health information exchange (HIE) has the potential to improve the quality of health-care by enabling providers with better access to patient information from multiple sources at the point of care. However, HIE efforts have historically been difficult to establish in the US and the failure rates of organizations created to foster HIE have been high.Objectives: We sought to better understand how RHIO-based HIE systems were used in practice and the challenges care practitioners face using them. The objective of our study were to so investigate how HIE can better meet the needs of care practitioners.Methods: We performed a multiple-case study using qualitative methods in three communities in New York State. We conducted interviews onsite and by telephone with HIE users and non-users and observed the workflows of healthcare professionals at multiple healthcare organizations participating in a local HIE effort in New York State.Results: The empirical data analysis suggests that challenges still remain in increasing provider usage, optimizing HIE implementations and connecting HIE systems across geographic regions. Important determinants of system usage and perceived value includes users experienced level of available information and the fit of use for physician workflows.Conclusions: Challenges still remain in increasing provider adoption, optimizing HIE implementations, and demonstrating value. The inability to find information reduced usage of HIE. Healthcare organizations, HIE facilitating organizations, and states can help support HIE adoption by ensuring patient information is accessible to providers through increasing patient consents, fostering broader participation, and by ensuring systems are usable.Citation: Kierkegaard P, Kaushal R, Vest JR. How could health information exchange better meet the needs of care practitioners? Appl Clin Inf 2014; 5: 861–877http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2014-06-RA-0055

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Health Information Exchange and Ambulatory Quality of Care

Applied Clinical Informatics ◽

10.4338/aci-2012-02-ra-0005 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 03 (02) ◽

pp. 197-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Y. Barrón ◽

R.V. Dhopeshwarkar ◽

R. Kaushal ◽

L.M. Kern

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Care ◽

Health Information ◽

Clinical Data ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Primary Care Physicians ◽

Health Information Exchange ◽

New York State ◽

Care Quality

SummaryBackground: Health information exchange is a national priority, but there is limited evidence of its effectiveness.Objective: We sought to determine the effect of health information exchange on ambulatory quality.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study over two years of 138 primary care physicians in small group practices in the Hudson Valley region of New York State. All physicians had access to an electronic portal, through which they could view clinical data (such as laboratory and radiology test results) for their patients over time, regardless of the ordering physician. We considered 15 quality measures that were being used by the community for a pay-for-performance program, as well as the subset of 8 measures expected to be affected by the portal. We adjusted for 11 physician characteristics (including health care quality at baseline).Results: Nearly half (43%) of the physicians were portal users. Non-users performed at or above the regional benchmark on 48% of the measures at baseline and 49% of the measures at follow-up (p = 0.58). Users performed at or above the regional benchmark on 57% of the measures at baseline and 64% at follow-up (p<0.001). Use of the portal was independently associated with higher quality of care at follow-up for those measures expected to be affected by the portal (p = 0.01), but not for those not expected to be affected by the portal (p = 0.12).Conclusions: Use of an electronic portal for viewing clinical data was associated with modest improvements in ambulatory quality.

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The Number Of Health Information Exchange Efforts Is Declining, Leaving The Viability Of Broad Clinical Data Exchange Uncertain

Health Affairs ◽

10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1439 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 35 (7) ◽

pp. 1278-1285 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Julia Adler-Milstein ◽

Sunny C. Lin ◽

Ashish K. Jha

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Clinical Data ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Data Exchange ◽

Health Information Exchange

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Assessing payer perspectives on health information exchange

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association ◽

10.1093/jamia/ocv072 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 297-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Dori A Cross ◽

Sunny C Lin ◽

Julia Adler-Milstein

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Clinical Data ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Data Exchange ◽

Health Information Exchange ◽

The United States ◽

Current Approach ◽

Use Cases ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Care Plans

Abstract Objective To identify factors that impede payer engagement in a health information exchange (HIE), along with organizational and policy strategies that might effectively address the impediments. Materials and Methods Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with leaders from 17 varied payer organizations from across the country (e.g., large, national payers; state Blues plans; local Medicaid managed care plans). Results We found a large gap between payers’ vision of what optimal HIE should be and the current approach to HIE in the United States. Notably, payers sought to be active participants in HIE efforts – both providing claims data and accessing clinical data to support payer HIE use cases. Instead, payers were often asked by HIE efforts only to provide financial support without the option to participate in data exchange, or, when given the option, their data needs were secondary to those of providers. Discussion Efforts to engage payers in pursuit of more robust and sustainable HIE need to better align their value proposition with payer HIE use cases. This will require addressing provider concerns about payer access to clinical data. Policymakers should focus on creating the conditions for broader payer engagement by removing common obstacles, such as low provider engagement in HIE. Conclusion Despite variation in the extent to which payers engaged with current HIE efforts, there was agreement on the vision of optimal HIE and the facilitators of greater payer engagement. Specific actions by those leading HIE efforts, complemented by policy efforts nationally, could greatly increase payer engagement and enhance HIE sustainability.

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Health Information Exchange Organizations and Their Support for Research: Current State and Future Outlook

INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing ◽

10.1177/0046958017713709 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 004695801771370 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carol Parker ◽

Mathew Reeves ◽

Michael Weiner ◽

Julia Adler-Milstein

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Health Information Exchange ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Third Party ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Electronic Health ◽

Using Data ◽

Electronic Health Information ◽

Support Research

Federal investment spurred health information exchange organization (HIO) development and maturation to provide third-party approaches to electronic health information exchange across disparate electronic health record (EHR) systems. By creating opportunities for data aggregation across multiple medical institutions, HIOs also spur research. Using data from a 2015 national web-based survey of HIOs (N = 64), we identified HIOs supporting or not supporting research, and compared characteristics of the 2 groups. We found that 15 (23%) of the 64 HIOs reported supporting research, 30 (47%) reported planning to support research, and 19 (30%) did not support research. Research-supporting HIOs were more likely than nonresearch supporting HIOs to offer advanced functionality, such as allowing users to query and retrieve data from multiple sources. Our study offers encouraging preliminary evidence that HIOs are supporting research, which could offer a solution to current challenges in creating comprehensive longitudinal clinical data sources for research.

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Health informatics - Person-owned document repository for PHR applications and health information exchange

10.3403/30320689u ◽

2018 ◽

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Health Informatics ◽

Health Information Exchange

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Maturity assessment of Kenya’s health information system interoperability readiness

BMJ Health & Care Informatics ◽

10.1136/bmjhci-2020-100241 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. e100241

Author(s):

Job Nyangena ◽

Rohini Rajgopal ◽

Elizabeth Adhiambo Ombech ◽

Enock Oloo ◽

Humphrey Luchetu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Working Group ◽

Data Exchange ◽

Enterprise Architecture ◽

Health Information Exchange ◽

Digital Health ◽

Health Information System ◽

Maturity Level ◽

Technical Standards

BackgroundThe use of digital technology in healthcare promises to improve quality of care and reduce costs over time. This promise will be difficult to attain without interoperability: facilitating seamless health information exchange between the deployed digital health information systems (HIS).ObjectiveTo determine the maturity readiness of the interoperability capacity of Kenya’s HIS.MethodsWe used the HIS Interoperability Maturity Toolkit, developed by MEASURE Evaluation and the Health Data Collaborative’s Digital Health and Interoperability Working Group. The assessment was undertaken by eHealth stakeholder representatives primarily from the Ministry of Health’s Digital Health Technical Working Group. The toolkit focused on three major domains: leadership and governance, human resources and technology.ResultsMost domains are at the lowest two levels of maturity: nascent or emerging. At the nascent level, HIS activities happen by chance or represent isolated, ad hoc efforts. An emerging maturity level characterises a system with defined HIS processes and structures. However, such processes are not systematically documented and lack ongoing monitoring mechanisms.ConclusionNone of the domains had a maturity level greater than level 2 (emerging). The subdomains of governance structures for HIS, defined national enterprise architecture for HIS, defined technical standards for data exchange, nationwide communication network infrastructure, and capacity for operations and maintenance of hardware attained higher maturity levels. These findings are similar to those from interoperability maturity assessments done in Ghana and Uganda.

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