Information Technology / HCCN Update

During December, CHCACT held its bi-annual IT Leadership meeting. 10 health centers participated in the meeting. Many data and interoperability topics were discussed, including:

• Data security and testing methods for cyber attacks
• Data breach mitigation & response planning
• Updates on our data warehouse
• Health Center Control Network (HCCN) status (see below)

CHCACT Health Center Control Network (HCCN)

HRSA has awarded CHCACT with the 2019 – 2022 HCCN grant to permit it to support member health centers in their use of data and health information technology. Year 1 of the HCCN grant has multiple requirements that vary in complexity.

HCCNs are groups of health centers collaborating to improve operational and clinical practices by making technology easier for providers and patients to use, increasing the security of patient information and using data to improve patient care.

HCCNs help health centers leverage health IT to increase participation in value-based care by:

Enhance Patient & Provider Experience

• Expand patient portal access
• Promote digital tools
• Improve provider Health Information Technology (HIT) satisfaction

Advance Interoperability

• Security analysis & breach mitigation response plan
• Transmit care summaries electronically
• Integrate external data into structured Electronic Health Record (EHR) fields

Use Date to Enhance Value

• Continue to use dashboards and reports
• Use Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) data to inform care plans
• Participate in community GIS projects

CHCACT has broken down the aims into umbrella goals that align with the overall HCCN objectives. Each project within the program will have a clear objective, task list, and timeline. CHCACT will assign resources to each project to ensure team members can properly manage staff, to ensure timelines are realistic and achievable, and to efficiently monitor progress.

The team has also identified “quick win” opportunities that will deliver important results with less investment in project management.

Your CHCACT HCCN Team members are Robert Rioux, Chief Operating Officer and Project Champion, Michael McLean, IT Specialist and Team Leader, and Natalie Thomas, IT Data Analyst and Project Manager.

If you have any questions about HCCN, please contact Natalie Thomas (NThomas@chcact.org)