242891 Connecticut agency data exchange: Facilitating data sharing between state human service agencies to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: 5:10 PM

Pamela Higgins, MS, MPH, CPH , Ethel Donaghue Center for Translating Research into Practice and Policy, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Julie Robison, PhD , Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
     
Background. A wide array of state funded support services are designed to improve employment outcomes for individuals living with disabilities. Employment barriers include fragmented inter-agency services at the state level. The Connecticut Agency Data Exchange (Conn-ADE) is a client data-sharing Health Information Technology (HIT) platform designed to improve the ability of state human service agencies in Connecticut to share data on a case management and policy level. The joint pilot project of four state agency partners proposes to reduce duplication of employment and related services across agencies for individuals with disabilities, address health disparities, and improve program efficiency. Objectives. This presentation will outline the process of developing a data interoperability solution that addresses gaps in coordinated state services for individuals with disabilities seeking employment and related services. Methods. Conn-ADE was developed through the collaboration of Connecticut state human service agencies in a multi-step process. Project steps to implementation include: review of agency agreements and legal issues, including consent issues; interagency Medicaid pilot data analyses; case file reviews; requirements definitions and systems design. Results. Upon implementation, Conn-ADE will allow partner agencies to: share client data and outcomes among agencies; perform cross agency reporting and research using de-identified client data while maintaining data at the individual and client level of detail; and perform retrospective population analyses of services and outcomes to provide policy guidance and to identify ethnic and race disparities. Discussion. Conn-ADE provides case management options and overall research capacity to address service overlap across state agencies, provide data for program evaluation, and improve employment outcomes for concurrent clients with disabilities.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Program planning
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe a multi-agency collaborative process aimed at combining disparate data resources to improve employment outcomes for concurrent clients with disabilities. 2. Identify the successes and barriers in developing an HIT platform to reduce duplication of state services for individuals with disabilities. 3. Discuss the integration of a statewide data exchange into existing agency platforms.

Keywords: Health Information Systems, Case Management

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualitified to present because I am the program manager for this project, and I have experience in developing, implementing and evaluating public health programs.
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.

See more of: The Use of HIIT to Assist Seniors and People with Disabilities
See more of: Health Informatics Information Technology