Beacon Community

On May 17, 2011 the Engelberg Center hosted a forum highlighting various Beacon Community accomplishments and plans for upcoming years. Discussion focused on health IT implementation strategies to accelerate clinical transformation, and how various Beacon communities are advancing broader health care reform efforts. Presenters focused on how health IT and related delivery system improvements are being utilized to increase care coordination and accountability in order to demonstrate feasible paths to higher-quality and lower-cost health care. Learn more about the event: Health IT in an Era of Accountable Care: Update from the Beacon Communities

Spotlight on Indianapolis
The Central Indiana Beacon Community is hosting a meeting on 1/31 (1-5pm EST) and 2/1 (9am-5pm EST) in Indianapolis. The meeting will cover topics such as the history, operations, products/services, mapping/interfaces and the sustainability of Indiana Health Information Exchange. Please see agenda for more information. The Central Indiana Beacon Community extends a special thanks to the Milbank Memorial Fund for their support for this event.

Presentation Handouts/Slides

Monday, January 31, 2011

1:15 PM - History (Dr. J. Marc Overhage)

1:45 PM - Products/Services (John Kansky)

2:30 PM - Indiana Network for Patient Care Architecture (Dr. J. Marc Overhage)

3:30 PM - Mapping/Interfaces (Dr. Mike Barnes, Dan Vreeman, Amanda Smiley)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

10:00 AM - Quality Efforts/Architecture (Chris Schultz, Aaron Cutshall, Dave Kelleher)

12:30 PM - Technology (Dr. J. Marc Overhage)

1:15 PM - Sustainability (John Kansky)

** please note times for Tuesday presentations are slightly different than agenda above due to last minute changes.

For over 15 years, Indiana has been a leader in health information technology and health information exchange efforts. That leadership was recognized in 2010 through the selection of an Indiana Health Information Exchange-led collaboration by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services as one of 17 national 'Beacon Communities'. This program is part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

The three year Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program will invest $16 million to support the activities of IHIE, its partners and communities to strengthen Indiana's already robust health IT infrastructure and extend its exchange capabilities. The IHIE collaboration will track outcomes related to quality, affordability and population health.

BACKGROUND:
Indiana has significantly higher rates than the national median for a variety of chronic diseases, which are among the most prevalent and costly health problems in the nation. Nearly 9.6 percent of Indiana residents -455,000 people- have diabetes, more than the national average of 8.2 percent.

Many people in Indiana aren't getting the health screenings they need for certain cancers. Our Beacon Community Program hopes to address both of these issues through better collection and use of data, health systems improvement, and community interventions.

GOALS:

Increase the proportion of diabetic patients whose blood sugar and cholesterol are under control
Reduce hospital admissions and emergency room visits for patients with conditions that could have been treated in an outpatient setting
Increase screening for cancers of the colon and cervix
Assist Indiana's Regional Extension Centers to support the adoption of electronic health records

These goals will drive improvements for patients and the community by supporting:

better chronic disease management
better utilization of healthcare services
timely preventive care services
meaningful use of health information technology
a real-world national health IT model that achieves measurable and sustainable improvements

HHS Secretary Sebelius visits Indiana in May 2010 to launch the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program

HHS Secretary Sebelius visits Indiana to launch the Beacon Program.

BEACON COMMUNITY
PROPOSAL