Impact
Policy Innovation
Designing robust policies and procedures, the contracts and agreements that must align with them, and consumer authorizations to enable collaboration and data sharing is an often unsung arena of innovation. We are proud to have provided subject matter expertise and strategic thinking in this area for most of our clients, engaging with legal, compliance, privacy and security, and contracting teams. We often facilitate communication and understanding between these teams and program, business, or IT leadership, to “get to yes” for new forms of data sharing with robust controls and oversight. In Sacramento, we developed a multi-party data sharing agreement that was signed within three months by nearly thirty major health systems, health plans, health centers, housing agencies, community-based organizations, and government.
User Experience
Technology is only as good as the experience of using it. In the field of health information technology, far too little effort is focused on user experience. We are working to change that. In Alameda County, which includes Oakland, California, we are leading the onboarding and training of users at a diverse set of over twenty organizations to Alameda County Care Connect, a system enabling data sharing, real-time collaboration, and analytics at the community level. Care Connect enables services coordination for the homeless population. We work closely with the County and its partners to define high-impact user scenarios, create momentum among initial users, and redesign human and technology workflows, all while informing the software development process from a front-line user perspective.
Whole Person Care
Whole person care is a $3b program in California supporting coordination of services across sectors such as physical health, behavioral health, and housing for the most marginalized Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Pilots participants collaborate in real-time, often among multiple organizations, to better serve these individuals. We currently advise five regional pilots on the design and implementation of their data strategies, and we recently completed a statewide assessment published by the California Health Care Foundation (see below). We previously supported several pilots in New York through a similar Medicaid program.
Technology Selection
Selecting a new technology system is often a major strategic decision for our clients. Over the past two years, we have facilitated such decisions over a dozen times, often through formal procurements, and usually advising on the contracting process as well. We have helped clients select electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange vendors, care management and analytics platforms, and community resource referrals databases. We support rigorous selection processes, from focused reviews of specific technology vendors to formal government Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
