Breaking Down Data Barriers
By John F. Clark Chief Information Officer
We’ve all experienced the frustration of moving from one doctor to another, only to fill out the same forms and repeat the same details about our health. Imagine if every doctor already had your full health story, so you didn’t have to start from scratch each time. Central Health’s partnership with a new health data-sharing system known as Watershed will help us move past this annoying – and sometimes dangerous – barrier to care.
Consider Maria, a hypothetical patient with multiple chronic conditions who sees different specialists across Central Texas. Before Watershed, every visit meant recounting her medical history and hoping her doctors had the information they needed. Now, with Central Health’s partnership with Watershed, Maria’s experience would be very different. Watershed centralizes health information—lab results, medications, past treatments—into one real-time platform. Every provider on her care team can access the latest updates, enabling them to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently.
This seamless access to information doesn’t just save time; it improves the quality of care. Maria would avoid duplicate tests and unnecessary appointments, and her doctors would have the full picture they need to provide the best care possible. Through Watershed, Central Health is making healthcare easier, faster, and more connected for patients like Maria, so they can focus on what matters most: their health and well-being.
As Chief Information Officer for Central Health, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of coordinating patient care across multiple providers and systems. For years, we’ve dreamed of a unified electronic health record (EHR) system for our safety-net healthcare network. With Watershed, we’re finally turning that vision into reality.
Watershed isn’t just an EHR platform – it’s a major change in how we access and use patient information. Let me share why I’m so excited about its potential.
Stepping Up Our Game
What sets Watershed apart from earlier attempts at implementing a unified EHR is its advanced analytics capabilities. We’re not just sharing data; we’re uncovering trends and patterns that will help us better manage population health and drive value-based care initiatives.
One of the most exciting aspects of Watershed is how it promotes care coordination. By using transparent, real-time quality metrics, we’re incentivizing collaboration among healthcare professionals across different systems. This is crucial for our safety-net system, where patients often receive care from multiple providers and payors.
As healthcare leaders in our local safety-net system, we know that health doesn’t begin and end in the doctor’s office. Watershed helps us address social determinants of health by screening for non-medical factors and connecting patients with community resources. This holistic approach is essential for truly improving health outcomes in our community.
A Community Effort
The successful implementation of this new data sharing system depends on collaboration. We’re working closely with partners like the Dell Medical School at UT, St. David’s Healthcare, Ascension Seton, Integral Care, and People’s Community Clinic. Together, we’re building up a network that will benefit all safety-net providers and, most importantly, our patients.
As we roll out Watershed, Central Health and our partners are being positioned as the hub for this transformative initiative. We’re leveraging our relationships within the local healthcare ecosystem to bring more connections to Watershed faster.
The Watershed project isn’t just about sharing data – it’s about improving lives through better healthcare outcomes. The entire local safety-net healthcare network is improving how we use and share patient information, and we’re paving the way for better health outcomes across our community. It’s an exciting time for healthcare in Central Texas, and I’m proud that Central Health is at the forefront of this innovation.