Role of a Health Information Exchange (HIE) and clinical decision support in improving diabetes among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders

Studies have suggested the importance of using a Health Information Exchange (HIE) in improving health care quality. One of the greatest advantages of a HIE is improved patient safety when patient information is available at the time of delivery. This project is a collaborative effort between the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), three of their member Community Health Centers (CHCs) in Hawaii, and AlohaCare Health Plan. The main focus of this project is to integrate culturally appropriate enabling services measures and reporting and decision tools into an existing HIE and assess their quality impact on a diabetes measure. Consistent with Patient-Centered Medical Home initiatives that depend on Health Information Technology (HIT) to facilitate care and requirements in Meaningful Use of certified HIT legislation, a decision support tool will be implemented for clinical and enabling services support staff to actively monitor and follow up patients with appropriate care. This project will also integrate and examine HIE data on enabling services for underserved populations at health centers. The resulting model could guide National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and other health organizations serving similar populations to make informed decisions about quality improvement efforts. Ultimately, it will utilize the technology established at the CHCs to improve the quality and cost- effectiveness of healthcare for the low income, high risk and underserved minority patient population they serve.