In the News

TEFCA Timeline Announced

On July 13, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released the timeline for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). This timeline is for the completion of the Trusted Exchange Framework, the Common Agreement Version 1, and the Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) Technical Framework. The ONC aims to open up TEFCA participation in Q1 of calendar year 2022. Read more here.

United States Core Data for Interoperability Version 2 (USCDI v2) Released

The ONC released United States Core Data for Interoperability Version 2 (USCDI v2), adding standardized codes for social determinants of health (SDoH), sexual orientation and gender identity (SO/GI). It includes three new data classes and a total of 22 new data elements. USCDI v2 will be available for consideration for ONC’s Standards Advancement Process (SVAP) in the fall. Read more here.

Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development Program

The ONC has announced an $80 million Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development Program (PHIT Workforce Program) to strengthen US public health informatics and data science, improve COVID-19 data collection, and bolster representation of underrepresented communities in the public health IT workforce. The ONC encourages consortia to apply.  Read more here.

HIMSS 2021 National Conference

Network with Local and Global Members at HIMSS21

The HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition is the can’t-miss health information and technology event of the year, where professionals throughout the global health ecosystem connect for education, innovation and collaboration. For nearly 60 years, HIMSS members and healthcare professionals—from CIOs and senior executives to providers and payers to IT consultants and entrepreneurs—have attended the industry’s most influential conference and trade show. Starting this year, HIMSS21 will be offered both in-person and digitally—so everyone, everywhere can join together to be the change. HIMSS21 takes place Monday, August 9 – Friday, August 13, 2021 in Las Vegas and digitally. Member discount available. Register now at www.himss.org/global-conference/.

Michigan Chapter Board Members Participating at HIMSS21

1. Exploring the Use of Digital Technology and Data as Enhanced Entry Points for Patient Experience - August 9, 2:05-2:35pm PST (Wynn)

Board member Lindsey Weeks will be speaking at the HIMSS21 Patient Experience & Consumerization Forum with co-presenter Chris Bailey from the Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN).

Session Summary

The collaboration discussed in this session began with a simple premise: high risk patients suffering from chronic conditions need to know what symptoms to look for and understand the best way to communicate symptoms with their care team. Current technology, care processes, and patient engagement strategies do not appropriately enable patient empowerment. To address this challenge, a PO, Payer, HIE, and telehealth vendor are collectively innovating to build a sustainable care model that focuses on patient education and engagement-creating the self-actualized patient. The collaboration-incentivized by the state's largest Payer-leverages advanced health information exchange services and telehealth technologies to promote and enable patient engagement in chronic symptom management, strengthen patient-provider connectivity, and efficiently drive increased use of transitions of care (TOC) visits. Providers identify high-risk patients and the telehealth platform provides them with easily-consumable education materials designed with the dual goal of addressing patient literacy and education. The telehealth platform also streamlines access to ADT notifications via the statewide HIE, enabling providers to track inpatient hospital and ED utilization in real-time and connect with patients in a timely fashion. This collaboration supports lower ED utilization, reduces readmissions, and improves patient self-management and experience of care.

2. Experiences with a FHIR Ecosystem Platform’s Queryable APIs – August 10, 4:00-5:00pm PST (Caesars, Summit 211)

Board member Helen Hill will be speaking at this session with co-presenter Allen Flynn, PharmD, PhD from the University of Michigan.

Session Summary

To close the information gaps that lead to workflow problems in healthcare, the health IT industry needs sophisticated capabilities to query and combine information from multiple target sources. To meet this need, this advanced session—brought forward by a new collaboration between a HIMSS chapter, an interoperability startup and an academic institution—will show how a multisource fast healthcare interoperability resource (FHIR) ecosystem simulation platform can support the creation and sharing of complex, multitarget FHIR queries. With a focus on challenging information needs arising in the areas of nursing practice, medication management and social determinants of health, we will demonstrate reliable, shareable technical mechanisms to query and combine a host of FHIR data from multiple sources to drive better decision-making in light of more comprehensive and complete information views.

3. Infrastructure and Incentives: Advancing HIE Innovation – August 11, 4:00pm-5:00pm PST (Caesars, Summit 211)

Board member Sharon Kim will be speaking at this session with co-presenter Chris Bailey from the Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN).

Session Summary

This session will explore how, without a state mandate, a state can build partnerships to form a foundation for advanced health information exchange (HIE). We will use Michigan’s story as a case study: Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN), the state-designated entity for HIE, partnered with the state’s largest payer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, to facilitate participation in the statewide HIE network by leveraging the collaborative foundation of Blue Cross’ Physician Group Incentive Program. By combining payer incentives with MiHIN’s Use Case Factory™ process and legal framework, the state was able to achieve increased participation, increased data exchange, and better-quality data, which have led to numerous opportunities, from advanced HIE to telehealth, to innovate across the state. While every state’s landscape is unique, and Michigan’s model is not a one-size-fits-all blueprint, this presentation will offer actionable, applicable how-tos and takeaways that can be implemented in myriad HIE landscapes.

4. Lindsey Weeks will also be a Circle Ambassador to assist attendees who have signed up for the Patient Engagement track of sessions.  The conference can be overwhelming to some and the Circle Ambassador plays a vital role to assist attendees navigate the conference. 

Michigan Chapter Annual Conference Event

Save the date! The Michigan HIMSS Chapter will be hosting an event on Tuesday, August 10^th at 6pm. Location and registration details to follow.

Upcoming Events and Webinars

• July 27, 10am: ONC Clinical Decision Support (CDS) for Advancing Patient-Centered Care and Health Equity Workshop. Find out more here.
• August 10, 6 pm: Save the Date! HIMSS Michigan Chapter Event in Las Vegas. Details coming soon.
• August 24, 1-3pm: Michigan HIT Commission Meeting. Find out more here.
• September 16-17: ONC Technical Forum (Virtual). Stay tuned for registration and the agenda!
• October 12, 9am-1pm: 2021 Connecting Michigan for Health and More, Sharing Psychiatric ADT and Treatment Center Notifications Workshop. Find out more and register here.
• November 9, 8am-3:45pm: 2021 Connecting Michigan for Health and More, Summary of Healthcare Technology 3.0 – Exploring the New Paradigm. View the working agenda here.

In Case You Missed It

The Chapter hosted a webinar on July 15, “Staying Alive”: Learning Health Systems and the Race Against the Clock. In case you weren’t able to attend, the session was recorded and posted to the Chapter’s YouTube Channel (HIMSS Michigan Chapter - YouTube). Check it out, and don’t forget to subscribe for more content!

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Chapter Sponsors

We would like to thank our Chapter Sponsors who make our events and efforts possible through their generous support. For any questions or information about Sponsorship opportunities, contact Mr. Dan Boyle.  DBoyle@uphp.com