HomeMy WebLinkAboutchr-newsletter-2nd-quarter-2024Community Health Record (CHR) User Newsletter
June 2024
Welcome to Alameda County Health’s quarterly Community Health Record (CHR) User
Newsletter where you will find important updates, training opportunities, tips, and
resources. We hope you find these updates helpful to your work. If you are new to
our mailing list, you can find previous issues here.
SHIE Staff Profile
Meet Dr. Brian Thomas, SHIE Director
Welcome to our new feature, the SHIE Staff Profile!
Each quarter, we will profile a member of our staff to
showcase how they support the Social Health
Information Exchange (SHIE). This is an opportunity to
celebrate the work of those with the skills sets essential
to the success of the SHIE and CHR.
This quarter we present Dr. Brian Thomas, MBA, EdD,
and Director of the SHIE. Dr. Thomas is a technologist
and experienced organizational leader, and he calls
upon these skills for day-to-day decision making and to
drive the SHIE forward.
Dr. Thomas embraces a servant leadership style as SHIE Director, emphasizing the
need to listen carefully to his team when making decisions:
“Leaders have to listen with an ear to hear. Sit, listen, help people build their skills. It’s
never an authoritative approach. It’s more of a coach's approach. Then you can
leverage what you're hearing to move things forward.”
Dr. Thomas knows the importance of listening to the community he’s supporting.
Experience in a variety of health care settings has taught him the value of buy-in from
diverse stakeholders to help the broadest spectrum of constituents possible. He
approaches these conversations with an ear toward technology, but also with the
goal of understanding the human problem to be solved.
“Before working on justice work, we met with community stakeholders. As we
listened to those folks, it was clear that we needed to do something different. Our
task was this: if you're serving incarcerated people, and they become citizens again,
what services do you need to provide to allow them to flourish and not become
incarcerated again? This is just as important as measuring health outcomes because
reducing recidivism directly helps the community.”
This understanding of the human problem leads directly to the technological solution:
“When someone is scheduled to be released from jail, we want that to be a real-time
activity. We know we already have the services available to assist them. But if it's
been a week since release, the person may have moved out of the county and away
from our ability to help.”
Dr. Thomas has a bachelor’s degree in information systems and a master's degree in
technology management from Pepperdine University. Dr. Thomas also completed his
doctorate in organizational leadership and education at Pepperdine University. Dr.
Thomas has managed multiple national accounts and clinical technology locations for
global health care leaders such as Philips Medical, United Health Group, and Kaiser
Medical Foundation.
Information Sharing Authorization (ISA) Workshop
Collaborate and conquer the ISA!
Join us for an ISA workshop designed specifically for
our CHR provider community. Learn how to navigate
patient consent forms, understand the legalities of
information sharing, and improve your compliance
and efficiency. This interactive session will provide
valuable insights and practical tools to enhance your
knowledge and skills. Don’t miss this opportunity to
collaborate with providers, stay informed, and
ensure you’re up to date with the latest protocols.
Click here to register and empower your organization with the knowledge you need to
succeed!
Workshop dates:
Wednesday, August 28 (Virtual), 1-2:30pm
Wednesday, September 18 (In-person), 1-2:30pm
Wednesday, October 30 (Virtual), 1-2:30pm
For questions, contact the Help Desk at CareConnectHelp@acgov.org
Why Consent Matters
Information Sharing Authorization (ISA) Signature
Collection
The Information Sharing Authorization (ISA) has shifted
over time as data sharing rules and policies have
progressed toward increased data integration. With your
consumer’s signature, the ISA unlocks additional
information that will aid in providing better care
coordination across programs. The ISA remains important
in care coordination because it:
Allows care teams to access Continuity of Care Documents (CCD), including
hospital discharge information.
Allows care team members from non-HIPAA covered entities to access records
and coordinate care through the CHR.
Gives care team members the ability to maximize use of the Shared Care Plan to
document and coordinate care.
Enhances the overall quality and efficiency of patient care and outcomes.
Contact the Help Desk for ISA forms in multiple languages, best practices, and
instructions on how to upload an ISA manually or via DocuSign.
Help Desk: CareConnectHelp@acgov.org or call (510) 618-1997.
What Say You?
We would like to hear from you!
Your stories about the Community Health Record (CHR) for coordinating care and
improving health outcomes are inspiring. Can you share a success or impact story
from your experience on how the CHR has helped you? Click on Impact Stories to
enter your name and provider information.
What would you like to see in the newsletter?
We are looking for input from our provider community on what you would like to see
included in the newsletter. Please put your suggestions here: Ideas.
CHR Stories from the Field
Check out what our colleagues from
Abode Housing Community Supports
(HCS) have to say about the CHR:
"I wish I had had the CHR in my previous
roles at other organizations. I use it
multiple times a week to look for the
recent activity of my clients. Sometimes after initial engagement, they fall off the
radar. The CHR provides an extra layer of information for follow-up with clients. It has
allowed me to have more insight into the health issues impacting them. This helps
broaden the options for potential referrals to additional services. By having access to
the CHR, I was able to make a referral for one of my clients for a respite program."
-Lex, Housing Navigator
Defined: SHIE vs. CHR
You may have heard the terms Community Health Record
(CHR) and Social Health Information Exchange (SHIE) used
together often. But do you know the difference between
them?
The SHIE is a health and social data exchange that contains
ALL the data we are receiving from all sources. Participants
of the SHIE can access its data by making requests for
reports from our team, or via a number of applications. The CHR, the SHIE’s most
well-known application, is a web-based, provider-facing tool that rediscloses a
curated set of SHIE data that can be utilized for care coordination.
One way to explain the difference is to think of the SHIE as a data bank and the CHR
as the “ATM” of the data bank.
New Organizations and Programs
We'd like to welcome these new programs being onboarded to the CHR!
AC Behavioral Health: Vocational Services
AC Public Health: DCDCP TB Control, Front Door
Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS): Trauma Recovery Center,
Wellness Empowerment & Resiliency Campus, Wood Street Community Cabins
La Familia: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic
Important Reminders
If you require any resource material such as Tip Sheets or Information Sharing
Authorization forms, kindly submit your request through the Help Desk at
CareConnectHelp@acgov.org or call 510-618-1997. This streamlined process ensures
a prompt response and efficient handling of your request.
Reminder for Supervisors: Notify Help Desk When Off-Boarding Staff
Is your organization experiencing staff changes? As CHR users transition out of the
organization, we request that supervisors notify the Help Desk so our team can
deactivate their CHR accounts. For more information, please contact the Help Desk at
CareConnectHelp@acgov.org or (510) 618-1997.
Training and Support
Self-Paced Online CHR Training
New Users: Go to our Self-Paced CHR Training Registration form and select NEW
USER TRAINING. Once approved, staff have 30 days to complete the 3-hour training
and get a CHR account. Please allow up to one week from the date of form submission
for approval and enrollment in New User Training.
Existing Users: Review the CHR on your own schedule with our CHR Refresher
Training. Lessons focus on key CHR features and finding the information you need!
Click on our Self-Paced CHR Training Registration form and select REFESHER
TRAINING to be enrolled in the training for 30 days.
Live Online or In-Person Post-Training Support
We are here to provide additional CHR coaching for your team at a time that works
for you. Sessions focus on accessing the CHR to find the information you need,
answering your burning questions, and adding the CHR to your team's workflow. To
request Post-Training Support, please contact our Help Desk at
CareConnectHelp@acgov.org or (510) 618-1997.
Additional Resources
Questions? Contact the Alameda County Health Help Desk at
CareConnectHelp@acgov.org or (510) 618-1997.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE