Mosaica Partners Completes Comprehensive Multi-State Scans of HIE Needs in Long-Term Care, Rural and Behavioral Health Sectors

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – (Feb. 21, 2013) – Mosaica Partners has completed three in-depth reports on behalf of the State of Arizona describing the status of, and potential for, health information exchange (HIE) in three under-represented areas: long-term care, rural health, and behavioral health. A fourth report from the nationally recognized HIE consulting firm provides insight into the state’s general HIE readiness based on a series of comprehensive interviews with Arizona thought-leaders and stakeholders.

Commissioned and published by the Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology (ASET) office, the reports provide detailed, actionable information to advance HIE under the state’s Unconnected Providers’ Grant Program. The grant program is designed to stimulate adoption of HIE by Arizona providers who have not yet planned or implemented an information exchange solution, with a specific focus on long-term care, rural and behavioral health providers.

Noting that Mosaica Partners possesses a unique depth of HIE expertise and specific familiarity with the State HIE Collaborative Agreement Program (SHIECAP), Arizona’s State HIT Coordinator Lorie Mayer tasked the firm with identifying resources and best practices that would enable grant monies to be put toward accelerating the establishment of sustainable HIE in Arizona. This included conducting interviews with 32 Arizona-based thought leaders representing 19 different and unique organizations.

“These reports are an example of the strategic approach that has made Arizona a recognized leader in HIE planning and implementation,” said Mosaica Partners President Laura Kolkman, RN, MS, FHIMSS. “We identified many state, national and federal resources that Arizona and other states can leverage to advance HIE in three sectors that, while often overlooked, play an integral role in improving the quality of and access to healthcare.”

Each report contains extensive information on relevant federal initiatives and programs, national-level organizations and their objectives, state-level initiatives, and relevant programs within Arizona and other states. Included are summaries of current activities, common barriers to HIE, participation drivers, and the types of assistance needed to increase provider HIE capabilities. Highlights include:

• Behavioral Health: In addition to a list of specific recommendations for streamlining privacy and consent processes, the behavioral health scan recommends providing HIE-related incentives to behavioral health and substance abuse treatment providers.
• Rural Health: Along with identifying multiple state and federal programs that focus specifically on improving rural healthcare, the scan noted opportunities to coordinate and develop synergies among these multiple programs to advance HIE adoption.
• Long-Term Care: In addition to listing potential barriers and benefits for provider participation, the scan produced specific examples of experiences in other states that could help accelerate HIE adoption among providers in Arizona and around the country.

“Long-term care organizations in particular face significant barriers to HIE, including lack of robust health IT capabilities to support information exchange and no real financial incentives to adopt more advanced technologies due to their exclusion from Meaningful Use,” said Barbara Bateman, Vice President of Market Intelligence, Mosaica Partners. “Active HIE participation is crucial because these providers care for patients who have some of the most complex and chronic conditions and who frequently transition between care settings. HIE can address many of the issues related to these transitions.”

The four reports mark the latest expansion of Mosaica Partners’ long-standing relationship with the State of Arizona. Most recently, Mosaica created the State’s HIE Evaluation Plan and updated Arizona’s HIE Strategic and Operations Plans.

“We are pleased to have been given the opportunity to apply our deep understanding of healthcare and HIE to keeping Arizona on the path to HIE success,” said Kolkman. “It is also gratifying to make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge that other states can leverage to advance their own HIE efforts.”

About Mosaica Partners

A nationally recognized health information strategy and HIE consulting firm, Mosaica Partners provides services to a wide range of clients including small rural and large urban communities, hospitals, ACOs, Beacon Communities, state HIT coordinators, federal agencies and health IT vendors. Established in 2005, the firm has earned a national reputation for its health information research and strategy capabilities and its expertise and accomplishments in planning, forming, and optimizing HIEs. Mosaica Partners’ principals also authored the definitive book on HIE, The Health Information Exchange Formation Guide, which was named “Book of the Year” by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.