MX November Newsletter
A monthly roundup of news and updates from MX
November 2022 Edition
Message From Our CEO
In the spirit of giving thanks, I want to extend my gratitude to Manifest MedEx's participants, employees, and partners/vendors for your commitment to the advancement of interoperability and data sharing across California. You are each a critical part of the ongoing collaboration that is extending and advancing California’s health data infrastructure to improve lives statewide. With your help, MX continuously delivers crucial health information for more than 32 million Californians across every county throughout the state.
As we near the end of this year, I invite you to join me in reflecting on where we started, where we are headed, and why we are doing this important work. We have some of the most challenging and important work ahead of us to close the digital divide, advance health equity, and eliminate health disparities through real-time, accurate data sharing between our organizations. I can’t think of a better set of partners or a more impactful place to invest our effort and energy. The time for true transformation is now, and I am so grateful we’re in this together.
Data Exchange Framework (DxF) Implementation Advisory Committee (IAC) Meeting #2
- Include equity—in particular, closing the digital divide through creation of a “health data safety net”—as one of the Guiding Principles for Qualified Health Information Organizations (QHIOs) that will serve as State-vetted partners for entities to comply with and benefit from the DSA;
- Consider allowing QHIOs to annually attest on behalf of their participants (such as small practices and safety-net providers) for DSA compliance;
- Make DxF Technical Assistance Grants available upfront to voluntary DSA signatories like county health departments—we believe early support is vital to accelerating HIO infrastructure for state and local health jurisdictions, as featured in our webinar with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and San Bernardino and San Joaquin Counties (see below); and
- Recognize that QHIO implementation costs are ongoing and will require sustained public funding to match the scale of the DxF’s goals.
Save the Date!
Register for our upcoming webinar on Thursday, December 1 from 12 pm – 12:45 pm PT.
Most healthcare entities will be required under AB133 legislation to share health data with each other by 2024 through the CalHHS Data Exchange Framework (DxF). The DxF comprises a single Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) and a common set of Policies and Procedures (P&Ps) that will govern the exchange of health and social services information among healthcare entities and government agencies beginning January 31, 2024. The DxF and DSA were developed with input from a broad set of stakeholders including Manifest MedEx.
Health plans and most healthcare providers in California must sign the DSA on or before January 31, 2023, and begin sharing data with other participants in the following year.
Join us for an overview of the Data Exchange Framework and Data Sharing Agreement – key deadlines and next steps, what we know and don’t know (yet), and the impact on participants in the MX network, as well other health plans, hospitals, providers, and counties across the state.
We encourage you to submit questions as you register for the webinar and to review recaps of the DxF meetings that Manifest MedEx has provided in the past year.
Speakers:
- Felix Su, Director of Policy, Manifest MedEx and Member, CalHHS DxF Implementation Advisory Committee
- Jason Buckner, Chief Information Officer, Manifest MedEx and Member, CalHHS Data Sharing Agreement and Policies & Procedures Subcommittee
Register and share the link to the webinar here. We look forward to seeing you there!
State Seeks Interested Parties in Piloting Medi-Cal Consent Form and Management Service
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released a Request for Information to pilot its upcoming Authorization to Share Confidential Medi-Cal Information (ASCMI) Form. According to the DHCS, “the ASCMI Form is a universal release of information form designed to facilitate sharing of an individual’s physical, mental, and social health information through a standardized consent process. A consent management service is to be used to store and manage Medi-Cal member consent and can be accessed and amended by members and service providers via the website and/or their existing electronic health record system.”
DHCS envisions selecting three ASCMI pilot sites that will each consist of a collaborative partnership between a health information exchange/community information exchange, a county health system, and Medi-Cal managed care plans. Manifest MedEx is evaluating our potential role in the RFI.
Participant Bright Spot
Central Neighborhood Health Foundation (CNHF) is a network of Medicare-certified, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that provide care in medically underserved areas (MUAs) in Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire. The mission of CNHF is to minimize disparities in healthcare access and outcomes by providing superior-quality, patient-centered healthcare through an integrated delivery system for the underserved and vulnerable multi-ethnic communities in the State of California. The network of health centers strives to provide culturally competent care to both insured and uninsured patients.
CNHF serves vulnerable and underserved populations who face a multitude of barriers in connecting with regular sources of primary care and often seek care in the Emergency Department for issues that could have been addressed by a primary care clinic. Affiliated with 17 hospitals, CNHF serves as a resource for their patients to coordinate timely follow-up care. This can make it difficult and time-consuming for staff to track medical records and patient medical histories, including recent hospital visits, resulting in delayed care, even at the time of the visit. It is particularly challenging for vulnerable patients who may experience greater difficulties in returning for additional appointments (e.g., lack of transportation, time off work). CNHF needed more timely access to longitudinal medical records to efficiently track and treat their patient population and achieve their mission.
To learn how Central Neighborhood Health Foundation used Manifest MedEx to improve post-discharge follow-up and care for underserved communities, read the full case study on our website.
ICYMI: Manifest MedEx Hosts Panel With Public Health Leaders on Collaborative Data Sharing
- Heather Readhead, MD, MPH, Public Health Medical Officer, California Department of Public Health
- Sara Sowko, MPH Public Health Epidemiologist, Contra Costa County Health Services and California Association of Communicable Disease Controllers (CACDC)
- Josh Dugas, Director, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health
- Shadi Barfjani, MD, Deputy Director, of San Joaquin County Public Health Services
Dr. Readhead and Ms. Sowko discussed potential opportunities for HIOs to fill clinical data gaps for public health research and monitoring. Director Dugas explained how his county has leveraged MX Notify to prevent and treat congenital syphilis by reaching pregnant mothers and their babies for prenatal and postpartum care. And Dr. Barfjani described how San Joaquin County is on a path to strengthen its public health data infrastructure with Manifest MedEx through an approach similar to San Bernardino’s.
You can view the full recording of the webinar on our website.
MX New Product Release
Manifest MedEx (MX) is excited to announce our new Contact Information Report! Contacting individuals for outreach purposes can be challenging without frequently updated contact information. Fortunately, MX aggregates health data from multiple sources for more than 32 million patients and is now providing an ongoing report with updated contact information to authorized participants for their patients/members. In our new .csv report, participants can receive all past known home addresses, most recent phone numbers, and email and guardian contact information for their patients/members. For more information on how to receive this report, please contact your Customer Success Specialist.
News and Events
Data Sharing Can Reverse a Health Crisis
Congenital syphilis (CS), a preventable and potentially devastating disease passed during pregnancy, is increasing at an alarming pace in California and nationwide.
In the largest geographic county in the U.S., San Bernardino County in California, we have a ray of hope. In 2019, the county had double the incidence rate of California overall and more than four times the incidence rate in the U.S. Here we look at a case study for how using health information exchange data in a proactive and insightful way can help counties prevent CS and create a safe and thriving environment for pregnant mothers and their babies, especially women with barriers to accessing regular care.
Read the article by Mimi Hall, Vice President of Public Health Innovation, Manifest MedEx, and Josh Dugas, Director, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, published in MedPage Today.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Industry Voices—How One Community Health Plan Increased COVID Vaccinations by 40% Using HIE Data
One health plan in California was able to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates by 40%, showing us that the right health data can be a powerful ally in population health, providing granular insights to identify and build trust with individuals and communities that in turn help increase vaccination among those most vulnerable as quickly as possible.
Read the article by Erica Galvez, Chief Executive Officer of Manifest MedEx and Lakshmi Dhanvanthari, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Health Plan of San Joaquin published in Fierce Healthcare.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Congenital Syphilis, Although 100% Preventable, Is a Health Crisis
The U.S. is currently facing a public health crisis — one that is on the rise at an alarming rate, has devastating consequences, and is 100% preventable. And that’s congenital syphilis (CS).
A story I read published almost a year ago about how preventable CS is, still haunts me. It also keeps me motivated to solve this public health crisis, one that can be easily tackled with timely treatment, enabled by health information exchange (HIE) sharing and real-time alerts between hospitals and public health systems.
Read the article by Mimi Hall, Vice President of Public Health Innovation, Manifest MedEx, published in Capitol Weekly.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Remembering that Interoperability Policy Is Still Personal
Here in California, our nonprofit health information organizations are especially important to those working to eliminate health disparities and close the digital divide — both for individuals and for the small, rural, and Medi-Cal providers who don’t have the technology or resources to share quality data. As we work to advance interoperability and data sharing across the nation, we should remember that our ultimate goal is to help people live healthier lives.
Read the article by Erica Galvez, CEO, Manifest MedEx, published in Healthcare Innovation.
Network Growth
New data sources available on MX today:
ADTs from the following 30 participants:
Avocado Medical Clinic (2 locations)
Benny J. Guzman, M.D. Corp. (2 locations)
Camarena Health (19 locations)
Daniel Franco, M.D., Inc.
Inscriptions Children’s Clinic
Jesus Lua, M.D. Inc.
Qazi Medical Group, Inc. (2 locations)
Rancho Medical Clinic
Sukhdev K. Uppal, M.D., Inc.
CCDAs from the following 41 participants:
Akhil Sharma, M.D.
Aparna Sharma, M.D.
Arturo Quintanilla, M.D.
Avocado Medical Clinic (2 locations)
Benny J. Guzman, M.D. Corp. (2 locations)
Camarena Health (19 locations)
Clinica Coachella, Inc.
Daniel Franco, M.D., Inc.
Dr. Timothy J. Killeen, M.D., Inc.
Inscriptions Children’s Clinic
Jasmine L. Ramos, M.D., FAAP
Jesus Lua, M.D., Inc.
Luther Mangoba, M.D., Inc.
Oliverio Medical Corporation (2 locations)
Pilar J. Condry, M.D.
Qazi Medical Group, Inc. (2 locations)
Rancho Medical Clinic
Sukhdev K. Uppal, M.D., Inc.
Zosima B. Carino-Gateb, M.D., Inc.
Lab data from the following 20 participants:
Adrian Tripp M.D. Medical Corporation
Altos Health (2 locations)
Bryan and Nina Chan, MD.. Family Practice
Corona Pediatrics Inc.
Dimple Agarwal, M.D. (2 locations)
Doctors B. H. S. & F.
Imperial Clinica (2 locations)
Inland Empire Medical Group
La Sierra Medical Corp.
Maria Remedios R. Gopez, M.D., Inc.
Olusola A. Oyemade M.D., F.A.A.P., Inc.
Pervaiz Channah & Associates
Redlands Community Hospital (2 locations)
Rosario Retino, M.D. Inc.
Southern California Primary Medical, Inc. (2 locations)
Have questions or want to learn more? We're here to help. Reach out.
We want to hear from you! Let us know how we're doing.