Project Grant U8645860

HEALTH CENTER CONTROLLED NETWORK - THE COMMUNITY CARE NETWORK OF KANSAS (COMMUNITY CARE) WILL OPTIMIZE HEALTH IT TO IMPROVE CLINICAL QUALITY, PATIENT-CENTERED CARE, AND PROVIDER AND STAFF WELL-BEING AT HEALTH CENTERS PARTICIPATING IN HEALTH CENTER CONNECTIONS (CONNECTIONS), THE ESTABLISHED HEALTH CENTER CONTROLLED NETWORK (HCCN) ORGANIZED AND SUPPORTED BY COMMUNITY CARE. THROUGH THE PROPOSED WORK PLAN ACTIVITIES, CONNECTIONS WILL ASSIST PARTICIPATING HEALTH CENTERS IN LEVERAGING HEALTH IT AND DATA TO DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY, CULTURALLY COMPETENT, EQUITABLE, AND COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. THE 16 HEALTH CENTERS THAT HAVE COMMITTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONNECTIONS HCCN PROVIDE HEALTH SERVICES ACROSS THE STATE OF KANSAS FROM 71 SITES. UDS REPORTS SHOW THESE HEALTH CENTER PROGRAM AWARD RECIPIENTS SERVED 182,999 PATIENTS DURING 503,318 CLINIC VISITS AND 31,048 VIRTUAL VISITS IN 2020. DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PATIENTS SERVED BY THESE HEALTH CENTERS FOLLOW. - ETHNICITY: 28% HISPANIC, 69% NON-HISPANIC, 3% UNKNOWN - RACE: 1% ASIAN, 1% HAWAIIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER, 11% BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN, 2% AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE, 71% WHITE, 5% MORE THAN ONE RACE, 9% UNKNOWN - POVERTY LEVEL: 41% AT OR BELOW 100% FPL, 13% 101-150% FPL, 12% 151-200% FPL, 10% OVER 200% FPL, 24% UNKNOWN - MEDICAL INSURANCE: 32% UNINSURED, 30% MEDICAID, 11% MEDICARE AND DUALLY ELIGIBLE, 27% PRIVATE INSURANCE ACTIVITIES DEFINED IN THE WORK PLAN FOR THIS PROJECT ARE INTENDED TO ADDRESS THE IDENTIFIED NEEDS OF PARTICIPATING HEALTH CENTERS. THROUGH THE PROPOSED ACTIVITIES, WE AIM TO INCREASE PATIENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH DIGITAL HEALTH TOOLS; IMPROVE PATIENT PRIVACY AND CYBERSECURITY POLICIES AND PRACTICES; INCREASE THE USE OF SOCIAL RISK FACTOR DATA TO SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS; PREPARE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF DATA TO UDS+; OPTIMIZE CARE THROUGH THE USE OF DATA INTEGRATED FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES; INCREASE THE USE OF DATA STRATEGIES FOR PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT; PROMOTE PROFICIENCY IN THE USE OF DIGITAL HEALTH TOOLS; IMPROVE HEALTH IT USABILITY AND ADOPTION THROUGH FACILITATED INTERVENTION; INCREASE THE COLLECTION OF DISCRETE DATA TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH STATUS OF PHC COMMUNITIES BY REDUCING HEALTH DISPARITIES; AND OPTIMIZE DIGITAL HEALTH TOOLS TO SUPPORT HIGH-FUNCTIONING CARE TEAMS, REDUCE WORKLOADS, AND/OR MAKE CARE MORE EQUITABLE. ALL ACTIVITIES ARE FOCUSED ON OPTIMIZING HEALTH IT FOR IMPROVEMENT.