When Exchanging (and Trusting) Data Grows Up
Health Information Exchanges and Qualified Health Information Networks are vital to building better health care. But these concepts are new to many people in health care We’ll learn about data exchange from one of the field’s leaders, Laura McCrary, President and CEO of KONZA National Network.
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About The Guest
Laura McCrary is the founding Executive Director/CEO of the Kansas Health Information Network, now known as KONZA. During her tenure, KONZA has expanded into 11 states and provides analytic and health information exchange solutions to providers, patients and health plans.
McCrary’s focuses on health information technology that improves health outcomes and reduces provider and patient burden. She leads KONZA’s development of products that improve health access, evaluate health care quality and transform into formats necessary to support value-based payment models, medical research and clinical trials.
Episode Description
On this episode of Quality Matters, we explore the growing importance of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) with Laura McCrary, President and CEO of KONZA. Laura discusses the pivotal role these systems play in quality care, enabling the secure and efficient sharing of medical records across diverse networks. By advancing the digitalization and interoperability of health data, these networks enhance patient safety and care coordination.
We explore how integrating claims data with clinical data enhances quality, underscoring the critical importance of trusted networks for data exchange. Laura dispels common myths surrounding HIEs and QHINs, while offering practical tips for health care organizations curious about connecting to these essential systems.
Additionally, we examine national efforts to expand connectivity and ensure that all health care organizations are part of a growing, robust data infrastructure. This episode serves as a handy guide for how to leverage HIEs and QHINs to participate in more capable and coordinated health care ecosystem.
The first problem was how did we actually move the data from Florida, say, to New York? It’s been solved through QHINs.
As we solve one problem, we’ve created a new one, which is there’s too much information available. We’ve got to address this new problem.”
Timestamps
01:48 Challenges and Change in Data Exchange
03:48 Myths and Realities of HIEs and QHINs
07:35 Connecting Different Kinds of Data
10:27 Dimensions of Trust
14:29 Reducing Burden with Digital Measurement
16:06 Future of HIEs and QHINs