227141 Delta Health Alliance: Eliminating Health Disparities by Incorporating HIT into Rural Communities

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 3:10 PM - 3:30 PM

Chuck Fitch , Delta Health Alliance, Stoneville, MS
Karen Fox, PhD , Delta Health Alliance, Stoneville, MS
Theresa Hill , Delta Health Alliance, Stoneville, MS
Anna Lyn Whitt, LMSW, MPH , Delta Health Alliance, Stoneville, MS
Background: The Mississippi Delta, comprised of 18 counties in Mississippi, has historically high chronic disease and mortality rates. As the poorest region of the state, the Delta's minority population comprises over half of all the residents. Education, economic, and health statistics fall far below the national average and are attributed to the high percentage of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Methods: The Delta Health Alliance (DHA) Electronic Health Record (EHR) project was established in 2006 as part of a larger Delta Health Initiative. Since its inception, DHA has committed over $20 million to improve HIT and EHR in the Mississippi Delta. The EHR project has systematically and dramatically improved access to care for residents of the Delta, providing services where none existed and improving clinic workflow in over 20 locations. Results: Through the EHR project, DHA has: (1) expanded services and access to care to 20 physical locations, adding 8-12 locations per year; (2) conducted patient and provider satisfaction surveys; (3) enrolled over 240 billable providers to the EHR system; and (4) touched over 640,000 patients in the Jackson metropolitan and Delta areas, with over 292,000 patient being touched in the Delta. Discussion/conclusions: This presentation will focus on the analysis of results meeting meaningful use criteria, progress toward the elimination of health disparities, and patient satisfaction. Increasing prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses in the Delta is evident through effective use of EHRs connecting patients from rural areas with healthcare providers.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
• Analyze effective use of EHRs to eliminate health disparities experienced by the impoverished counties of the Mississippi Delta • Describe the importance of EHR in rural areas • Discuss how EHRs in rural areas impacts the quality of care provided

Keywords: Health Information Systems, Telehealth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 10 years experience in social work and in reducing disparities. I also have four years experience in Electronic Health Records and in Health Information Technology in the public health arena. I currently direct multi-million dollar grants each year in Electronic Health Records/Health Information Technology.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.