Healthcare

It’s no secret that the volume of public health data is growing, which is why the importance of interoperability in healthcare cannot be emphasized enough. In August, I attended the 2023 Civitas Networks for Health Annual Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. The insights I gathered from my interactions with customers and partners throughout the year were echoed and reinforced at this event. Discussions throughout the conference made it clear that the seamless and secure flow of patient data across systems is a top priority for industry leaders. The following blog post covers some of my learnings and insights from the conference.

The HDU framework, designed as a guide to implementations, emerged as a signal of hope for many. The framework underscores the need to transition from simply collecting data to actively using it to improve patient outcomes. It’s clear that the future for the industry lies in not just having data but in effectively leveraging its power without sacrificing healthcare data security.

The conference shed light on critical challenges in today’s healthcare landscape. A stark disconnect persists between individual-focused healthcare and broader public health initiatives. This divide is particularly concerning given the anticipated 7.0% increase in out-of-pocket healthcare costs in 2024. Already, nearly 40% of Americans are forgoing essential treatments due to financial constraints. Further increasing the need for more holistic healthcare solutions is the fact that more than 2 million Americans do not have access to safe drinking water. Addressing these issues demands a unified approach including fostering provider-public health collaborations, advocating for cost-regulating policies, harnessing technological innovations and involving communities in health decisions.

One of the standout issues was a world where healthcare systems can ‘speak’ different languages yet seamlessly exchange data while enabling easy access by end users. By bridging these language gaps, healthcare providers can ensure continuity of care. For example, a doctor can have access to a patient’s full medical history, even if some of it was recorded in a different system. Secure data exchange tools like DataMotion provide healthcare data solutions that can serve as conduits, ensuring that patient data is accessible, understandable and readily available across platforms.

The emphasis on bi-directional data sharing between states and systems emerged as a recurring theme. Historically, data sharing in healthcare has been predominantly one-sided. However, the evolving landscape necessitates a more collaborative stance. The push for bi-directional data exchange, with a particular focus on health information security, signifies a great shift in our perception of healthcare data interactions. It’s not just a technical hurdle but also a cultural challenge that demands a change in mindset across the healthcare ecosystem.

The journey towards achieving comprehensive bi-directional data sharing presents both technical and cultural obstacles. Yet, the potential advantages for patient care, public health and medical innovation are substantial. As healthcare evolves, collaboration becomes even more imperative, making bi-directional data sharing a pivotal move forward.

The Civitas conference showcased the transformative potential of data and its immense impact on modern healthcare. When data is readily available, it drives insights and innovation across the industry, improving decision-making, resource allocation and predictive analysis. The potential of data to transform the industry emphasizes the importance of integrated systems, patient-centric care and transparency. From the Pathways Community HUB Model’s emphasis on the social determinants of health (SDOH) to the discussions around Health Information Exchanges (HIE), Qualified Health Information Networks (QHIN), Rural Health Innovation Collaboratives (RHIC) and Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), it’s clear that data will be at the heart of healthcare’s next evolution.

The Civitas conference emphasized the urgent need for dental data interoperability within broader healthcare systems, given the direct link between dental health and overall clinical success. A concerning statistic revealed during the session “The Case for Medical and Dental Data Interoperability: The Time Is Now” uncovered that 4% of Medicaid beneficiaries are hospitalized due to untreated dental issues. Despite the importance, dentistry, often seen as a “cottage” industry, faces challenges like misaligned terminology with Health Information Technology (HIT) and a preference for proprietary APIs over universal ones like FHIR. Addressing concerns from Dental and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) about participation and infrastructure, the vision for the future is a unified medical and dental data framework. This integrated approach would prioritize direct access to diagnostic images and patient data, streamlining patient care and reducing reliance on third-party portals.

The discussions around The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) and the eHealth Exchange highlighted the industry’s direction. These frameworks and exchanges will play a pivotal role in standardizing data exchange and ensuring that patient data is accessible when and where it’s needed whether it’s leveraging Direct Secure Messaging, FHIR APIs, or even secure file transfer.

The conference was a testament to the industry’s commitment to improving healthcare through data. As a subject matter expert at DataMotion, I understand our unique position to affect change in the industry and am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. The future of healthcare is not just about innovation but effective implementation. By enabling interoperability between systems, focusing on patient-centric care and leveraging the power of data, we can bring in a new era of more efficient, effective and equitable healthcare.

Stay ahead of the curve on the latest trends for healthcare exchange by subscribing to the DataMotion Newsletter. Or request a demo with one of our experts to see how DataMotion can revolutionize your healthcare data processes.

In today’s dynamic landscape of health insurance, providing exceptional customer experience has become a top priority for insurers. To meet this demand, a health insurance technology start-up (insurtech) partnered with DataMotion, a leading provider of data privacy and security solutions, to develop a revolutionary customer experience platform (CX Platform). This collaboration aimed to enable HIPAA-compliant communication and the secure exchange of Protected Health Information (PHI) between members, providers and payers. In this blog post, we will delve into the success story of this collaboration, exploring how it transformed the health plan’s customer experience while ensuring compliance with stringent security and privacy regulations.

The health plan provider, seeking to improve their customer experience, faced a significant challenge. They wanted to empower their members to securely exchange information and communicate with customer service representatives directly from their self-service web portal. However, using Amazon Web Services’ simple email as a relay server fell short of meeting the stringent security requirements mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security regulations. The insurer desired a seamless experience, eliminating the need for members to use multiple communication methods. Additionally, they wanted to leverage existing technology investments to maximize return on investment (ROI) and ensure familiarity for members and service representatives.

In their quest to overcome these challenges, the insurer found a trusted partner in DataMotion, who they had previously collaborated with on various projects. Leveraging their existing relationship, the insurtech discovered that DataMotion possessed a comprehensive suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) for secure messaging, email, and file exchange. These APIs, collectively known as secure message center APIs, presented an opportunity to integrate a secure message center with the CX Platform and the health plan member services portal.

With the goal of revolutionizing the customer experience, the insurtech and DataMotion swiftly embarked on integrating the secure message center APIs into the CX Platform. The API integration enabled plan members and service representatives to securely connect and share supporting documents through familiar messaging tools within the portal. The integration ensured the HIPAA-compliant and secure exchange of PHI while streamlining the communication flow through a single existing portal.

One of the key advantages of the secure message center was its ability to integrate into their contact center application. This integration facilitated efficient handling of member queries and issues, ensuring timely responses and effective resolution. Additionally, the secure message center generated response notifications, keeping members informed throughout the process. The detailed logging reports provided transaction history details, which not only aided regulatory compliance but also offered valuable insights for process improvements and customer service enhancements.

The deployment of the secure message center was a remarkable success story. It took less than a month to integrate, allowing for a seamless transition without disruptions to business operations. Leveraging the existing technology investments of the insurer minimized costs and maximized ROI. The Vice President of Security and Infrastructure from the insurtech expressed their satisfaction with DataMotion, stating, “Sometimes you venture into these projects, and it doesn’t work, and the vendor ends up losing a lot of money. DataMotion did this PoC with no strings attached, that’s how confident they were. Just two weeks into this trial, we all knew that we had exactly what we wanted – and more.”

The collaboration between the insurtech and DataMotion yielded significant benefits, transforming the health insurance customer experience. Let’s explore the key advantages and results achieved:

• Secure Exchange: Members, providers, and payers could securely exchange information without additional portals or communication methods. The integration of secure messaging capabilities within the CX Platform ensured that PHI remained protected at all times.
• Simplified User Experience: By seamlessly integrating the secure message center into the CX Platform, the member and provider user experience was enhanced. Members could communicate with service representatives directly from the self-service web portal, eliminating the need for multiple channels or cumbersome processes. This streamlined approach improved overall satisfaction and engagement.
• Regulatory Compliance: The secure message center solution enabled the insurer to meet the stringent security and privacy regulations outlined by HIPAA. Secure PHI exchange and the availability of detailed logging reports ensured compliance, reducing the risk of data breaches and potential regulatory penalties.
• Efficient Case Management: The integration of case numbers for tracking in ticketing systems allowed for efficient case management. Service representatives could effectively handle member inquiries, assign appropriate resources, and ensure timely resolutions. Response notifications kept members informed throughout the process, enhancing transparency and trust.

The success of the secure message center integration led to its adoption as a standard feature within the insurtech’s CX Platform. This forward-looking approach empowered insurers to provide hassle-free service and meet the evolving expectations of consumers accustomed to streamlined experiences in other aspects of their digital lives. The partnership between the insurtech and DataMotion not only enabled the provision of best-of-breed technology under a single platform but also strengthened the collaboration between the two companies.

In an industry driven by customer-centricity, the collaboration between the insurtech and DataMotion showcased the power of innovative technology in revolutionizing the health insurance customer experience. By seamlessly integrating a secure message center into the CX Platform, insurers securely exchanged PHI, enhanced communication channels, and streamlined processes. This success story serves as an inspiration for the industry, highlighting the importance of strategic partnerships and cutting-edge solutions in meeting evolving customer expectations. With the transformative power of secure messaging, health insurers can elevate their customer experience to new heights, ensuring the well-being and satisfaction of their members in the digital era.

Discover more about how DataMotion’s secure message center and data security and privacy solutions elevate customer experience and compliance for health insurance organizations by reaching out to our team of experts. Stay up to date with the latest industry news, tips, and best practices by subscribing to our monthly newsletter and by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

[Infographic] How the Secure Message Center Elevated a Health Insurance Organization’s Customer Experience & Compliance

Team DataMotion recently attended the Civitas Networks for Health 2022 Annual Conference, a Collaboration with the DirectTrust™ Summit, in San Antonio. Once onsite, it was three days of all things healthcare IT, interoperability and secure exchange. Our team attended panel sessions and had numerous conversations with folks across the ecosystem. As a result, our group gathered new learnings and fresh insights; we’ve collected their takeaways into this article for easy access.

Health Data Utilities: A New Pillar of Public Health “HDUs act as a public health intermediary, receiving, normalizing, aggregating, de-identifying, and disseminating actionable data in real time.“ In this entry to the DataMotion Blog, Doug Rubino shares a few words about health data utilities, and how this emerging concept can help revolutionize interoperability between public health agencies and other areas of the healthcare sector.

Using Existing Infrastructure to Advance Health Equity: Use Cases from Civitas 2022 “While it’s hard to fundamentally change how we envision healthcare today, [the future of health interoperability] is something for which we have already built the groundwork.” Innovation moves fast in the healthcare ecosystem and in this article, Christian Grunkemeyer discusses concrete examples of how creatively leveraging existing infrastructure (e.g., Direct Secure Messaging) can help achieve improved interoperability and better health equity.

Overheard at Civitas 2022: Snippets from San Antonio “Data, interoperability, and community are key to health equity.” In this blog entry, Sarah Parks offers a glimpse into some of the event “overheards” around public health, interoperability, innovation, and more.

While this year’s event has wrapped up, secure and compliant exchange challenges last year-round. Learn more about how DataMotion can help your healthcare organization easily, securely, and compliantly transmit sensitive information by setting up an intro call with our team:

• Doug Rubino
• Christian Grunkemeyer

We’d like to thank Civitas Networks for Health and DirectTrust for an outstanding event, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone next year!

Dear Diary,

I was so excited to attend the Civitas Networks for Health 2022 Annual Conference, a Collaboration with the DirectTrust™ Summit! Upon arriving in San Antonio, I was fully prepared for discussions about how the nation is expanding the usage of Direct Secure Messaging, and how DataMotion fits into that expansion. As the leader in secure exchange for over 20 years, DataMotion has served as a HISP for more than 10 of those years, enabling frictionless, secure, and compliant communications between disparate endpoints across the healthcare ecosystem. Our team is highly interested in how we can continuously innovate; as a strategic partner to healthcare organizations, our customers share how they are using existing technology, what they are seeking to do next, and how we can help them achieve those goals. I was looking forward to a tech-heavy conversation overall, with a focus on features and functions that would be helpful to organizations’ healthcare IT solutions.

I quickly realized that the overall discussion was going to be quite different from what I had envisioned. Conversations went beyond features and functionality, instead focusing on how the elements of clinical data, interoperability, and community are essential to attaining health equity, as stated by Scott Stuewe, President and CEO of DirectTrust. This theme of health equity, which is defined by the CDC as “when every person has the opportunity to ‘attain his or her full health potential’ and no one is ‘disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances,’” was the driver of many of our conversations as well as the topic of many of the sessions.

Mr. Stuewe went on to say, “We’re all in the health equity business…we are infrastructure. It’s time to build.” I was deeply impressed with some of the improvements that are being made to the DirectTrust Directory, and excited to think about DataMotion’s role, and how we can help.

Rishi Manchanda, CEO of HealthBegins, followed up with Mr. Stuewe’s comments by stating that failure to integrate social care and reduce inequities makes it harder to achieve health equity. “Regional health improvement collaboratives and health information exchanges can help build the nation’s infrastructure for health equity.” While it’s hard to fundamentally change how we envision healthcare today, it’s something for which we have already built the groundwork.

The tone of the conference was deeper and more meaningful than what I had expected. I enjoyed that. It is truly rewarding to hear how something that your company provides (in DataMotion’s case, Direct Secure Messaging) is positively impacting patient care. For example, I attended a session titled “Improving Information Sharing in Arkansas for Children in Foster Care.” Justin Villines, HIT Policy Director at SHARE HIE, and Anne Santifer, Director at SHARE HIE, spoke about leveraging their existing Direct infrastructure to share daily custody reports. The automated process goes something like this:

• Upon entering the foster care system or a new home, a child’s data is entered into a database. When the child moves homes or exits the system, their information is updated.
• From initial foster system entry and when transferring homes, a custody report is sent to an HIE, which is then sent to the child’s assigned primary care provider. This report includes demographic and case worker information.
• The provider then communicates this information with the child’s case worker, updating who is (or is not) authorized to access the child’s medical records and make decisions.

This process is fast, smooth, and of course secure and within compliance. By closing the loop and eliminating barriers, the child’s most recent custody records are quickly sent to their primary care physician, and caseworkers can update information just as quickly, ensuring expedient care for the child when they need it. This example was just one of many shared at the conference that demonstrated how we are already utilizing existing technologies to connect disparate systems and bring us one step closer to achieving health equity.

I was fortunate to join the NinePatch Wine Reception on day two. It was great to meet the team at NinePatch and learn how they help care systems connect and work together across behavioral, social, and medical services. When I was speaking with Leigh Sterling, President and CEO of NinePatch, she discussed how the industry as a whole is redefining what is considered healthcare.

Ms. Sterling gave a great example of how something as simple as a flat tire could have a domino effect on mental illness. Let’s say a person’s flat tire causes them to miss work, which causes them to lose their job. This job provided mental stability, and the loss of employment causes them to spiral. This loss of employment (and potentially, the ensuing episode) could have been avoided if a payor/provider was able to provide the appropriate resources for this person to get to their job – a taxi, Uber/Lyft, etc.

Does that mean we should consider something like a rideshare app to be a part of healthcare? If so, how do we communicate someone’s needs from an EHR/EMR to non-traditional healthcare partners (such as a ridesharing app) in a way that is clear and transmitted securely and compliantly? These are all interesting things to think about, especially as we seek to remove barriers to receiving care and to better provide services for everyone, including mental health services.

Overall, the conference was a huge success and highly informative. I learned so much, not only about DirectTrust and the importance of being a HISP, but how healthcare is evolving to meet today’s needs. I enjoyed learning about how the industry is leveraging existing infrastructure that we, including DataMotion, have put in place so we can achieve health equity. I’m always thankful for being able to learn, grow, and meet new people with interesting ideas at these events.

Until next year!

–Christian

P.S. This year’s event is over, but the conversation continues and is becoming increasingly important. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about how DataMotion can help your healthcare organization as we work toward better interoperability. Please feel free to set up an introductory chat via my calendar link.

I am excited to head to San Antonio for next week’s Civitas Networks for Health 2022 Annual Conference, a Collaboration with the DirectTrust Summit. Following on the 2021 merger of SHIEC and the NRHI to form the Civitas Networks for Health, the conference this year will join the Civitas and DirectTrust™ communities in a collaborative event. My colleagues and I are excited to meet others in the healthcare IT space, hear about industry pain points, and discuss how we can remedy tomorrow’s challenges today.

The Civitas Networks for Health membership consists of local, regional, and national healthcare information exchange networks whose mission is to facilitate the exchange of healthcare information amongst disparate endpoints within a healthcare ecosystem. As a conference sponsor with the same mission, DataMotion will be onsite to discuss our technology, how it has enabled healthcare organizations across the ecosystem to exchange clinical data in a secure manner, to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of that data.

Next week’s conference will convene industry thought leaders and recognized healthcare professionals from across the country. Interoperability and data sharing will be the focus of the dialogue, with a concentration on enabling the effective and efficient sharing of clinical data within the healthcare industry towards ensuring positive patient outcomes. These all happen to be areas of passion for both DataMotion and myself, personally.

In past entries to the DataMotion Blog, I’ve spoken to the critical element of interoperability, and how important it is for every type of healthcare organization to be able to not only securely transmit clinical data in a compliant manner, but to do so with ease. Whether these communications are between a provider, a payor, a community-based organization, or an organization within the life sciences sector, that execution must be as efficient as it is secure. The elements of efficiency and a frictionless experience are key to a number of enormous benefits, including cost savings and the increased potential for positive patient outcomes.

As an accredited HISP, DataMotion developed Direct Secure Messaging to enable organizations across the healthcare ecosystem to comply with Meaningful Use Stage 1. When Meaningful Use Stage 2 was introduced in 2012, the industry better understood the essential nature of not only the transmission itself, but also the role of the user experience. We didn’t know it at the time, but easily transmitting and receiving clinical information was going to prove critical. Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, a massive pivot into touchless clinical communications caused a need for an incredibly high volume of secure data exchange. Additionally, the national infrastructure to facilitate the substantial volumes and instantaneous reporting requirements of healthcare providers and public health agencies was severely lacking. DataMotion responded to this gap by enabling the secure exchange of COVID-19 electronic case reporting (eCR) through our HISP. At the height of the Omicron variant in January 2022, our HISP was processing over 30,000 eCRs per hour. This incredibly large throughput speaks to the agility, connectivity, and scalability requirements HISPs must meet in order to adapt to the mission-critical requirements of a major public health crisis, powering the nationwide transmission of electronic case reporting.

DataMotion embraces opportunities such as next week’s conference to further engage in thought leadership with our peers in these critically-important areas. As a secure exchange company with over 20 years of experience, and a founding member of DirectTrust, we remain committed to driving new use cases for Direct Secure Messaging and to the continued overall success of the protocol.

Our team is looking forward to speaking with you and discussing how DataMotion can help your healthcare organization more easily and effectively interact with other organizations within the ecosystem. Stop by Booth 53, or set up a meeting with me ahead of time: https://meetings.hubspot.com/dougr 

See you in San Antonio!

Explore More

• Advancing Health Equity: The Civitas Networks for Health and DirectTrust Conference
• Healthcare IT: Challenges and Opportunities in Secure Exchange
• Reimagining Healthcare Interoperability and Secure Information Exchange
• Connecting the Healthcare Ecosystems: Interoperability, Healthcare IT, and HIMSS 2022
• Directly Speaking: The 2021 DirectTrust™ Summit