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

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.