Civitas 2024: Elevating Health Data Utility, Patient-Centered Care, and Health Equity

The 2024 Civitas Networks for Health Annual Conference – the most highly attended event to date – was an impactful convening that brought together leaders, innovators, and advocates from across the healthcare landscape to discuss the future of data-driven care. For Velatura, this year’s event was an opportunity to advance crucial conversations around health data utility (HDU), patient-centered care, and health equity. Through impactful keynotes, cutting-edge discussions, and collaborative sessions, Civitas 2024 emphasized the importance of fostering a healthcare system built on interoperable data, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and equitable outcomes.

Key themes of data standards, governance, health equity, and interoperability echoed across the sessions, reinforcing the need to revolutionize how healthcare data is shared, accessed, and utilized.

Michigan’s Leadership in Health Equity and Social Care

The opening conversation, led by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II and Ninah Sasy, Policy & Planning Director at the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, set the tone for two and a half days of discussions. Moderated by Dr. Phillip Levy, Edward S. Thomas Endowed Professor, Associate Vice President for Translational Science and Director of the Center for Population Health Accountability at Wayne State University, the session focused on the intersection of social care, health equity, and health outcomes within Michigan—a state recognized for its resilience and innovation in public health. Lt. Gov. Gilchrist emphasized that, “even in the face of challenges, perseverance and action can lead to significant progress."?

Their dialogue highlighted Michigan’s leadership in addressing health disparities, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The speakers underscored the importance of bipartisan cooperation and data-driven solutions to ensure that all Michigan residents have a fair opportunity to attain their highest level of health, regardless of their circumstances.?

These themes resonated throughout the conference, particularly in discussions around health data utility and the need for systemic changes to tackle the structural barriers to care.

Addressing Structural Barriers and Reducing Disparities

One of the most impactful moments of the conference was the keynote from Roselyn Tso, Director of the Indian Health Service, who emphasized the importance of addressing structural racism and systemic barriers to health and wellness. Tso's presentation underscored that health equity must be at the heart of every innovation in healthcare. As she highlighted, these inequities are deeply embedded in our healthcare systems, and only by tackling these head-on can we ensure that every patient—regardless of background—has access to quality care.

This emphasis on equity dovetails perfectly with the continued advancements of the HDU model. By enabling the seamless sharing of health data across providers, HDUs are creating a more holistic, patient-centered model of care. HDUs have the potential to eliminate the information silos that have historically created gaps in care, particularly for underserved populations. The enthusiasm for HDUs at this year's conference was palpable, as attendees heard firsthand how this innovative model is already transforming healthcare. Multiple sessions focused on state and federal initiatives to leverage HDUs for improved public health and care coordination.?

Advancing Health Data Utility (HDU) and Patient-Centered Care

Angie Bass, Velatura’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, joined Dr. Stephen Shaya, Executive Servant Leader of J&B Medical, Ed Kim, Legislative Director for Congressman John Moolenaar, and Peter Dudziak, Legislative Aid for Senator Eric Schmitt, to explore the future of HDU and its potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery. The session highlighted how HDUs can provide a holistic, whole-person view of patients by enabling seamless data exchange across providers, breaking down silos, and empowering public health initiatives.

The Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) use case in Michigan, discussed by Dr. Shaya, exemplified how HDUs support patient-centered care. CGM technology tracks real-time blood sugar levels, enabling doctors to detect patterns and make informed decisions that improve patient outcomes. By allowing data to be shared across providers, HDUs enable personalized care and streamlined coordination, showcasing the power of technology-enabled care coordination (TECC).

Advancing Emergency Medicine Through Partnerships and Data Sharing with Emergency Medical Services and Crisis Response?

The Interoperability Institute hosted an invitation-only luncheon, which served as a critical platform for key stakeholders to converge and explore the future of data sharing in emergency medicine. This event attracted a diverse group of experts, policymakers, and thought leaders, all eager to engage in discussions about innovative solutions mandated by the federal government for crisis response and quality measures.

At the heart of the luncheon was the presentation of the Interoperability Institute’s revolutionary open-source Meld platform, which is hosted in a secure Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environment. The Meld platform aims to streamline data sharing across health information exchanges, promoting a more interconnected healthcare ecosystem. By leveraging this technology, the participants discussed the potential for pioneering new business models for HIEs, emphasizing the significance of establishing a HDU that could support national quality assurance and improvement programs.

Innovating Population Health Research with HIE Data

Dr. Tim Pletcher, Executive Director of Velatura, joined a distinguished panel in the session "Innovating Population Health Research and Epidemiology with Health Information Exchange (HIE) Data: Results of a Workgroup Assessing Feasibility of a Federated Network of HIEs." Pletcher, alongside leaders from Central California, Central Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Western New York HIEs, explored the potential of a federated HIE network to revolutionize population health research. Over the course of ten workgroup meetings, these experts defined the technical, legal, and regulatory components needed to create a secure and scalable national HIE network.

During the session, Pletcher and his co-panelists outlined the progress made in piloting a federated HIE data utility hub, highlighting the use of synthetic data, FHIR-based data exchanges, and the operationalization of scalable models. Pletcher emphasized the financial opportunities for HIEs working with academic research institutions and public health agencies, noting the potential value in fostering these relationships to improve public health outcomes.

Data Standards, Health Equity, and Interoperability: Moving Behavioral Health and Social Care Forward

Innovative approaches to health data were a focal point at Civitas 2024, with several sessions highlighting the work of New York State’s Qualified Entities (QEs) and the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) and Michigan’s Community Information Exchange (CIE) Task Force and Advisory Committee.

In New York, these initiatives laid the groundwork for a more advanced era of health data exchange, positioning the state as a significant contributor to the evolution of health information exchange (HIE) systems. A standout presentation from NYeC’s Molly Marra showcased groundbreaking work on data standards for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) screening, which supports the CMS 1115 Waiver Amendment in the state. This effort emphasizes the integration of social determinants of health (SDOH) data into healthcare systems, demonstrating how robust governance and data standards can enable more effective health information exchange to improve care coordination and outcomes.

Michigan's own efforts toward interoperability and health equity were featured in a standout session titled "Governing Community Information Exchange (CIE) to Advance Interoperability and Health Equity: Lessons Learned from Michigan." The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services launched a CIE Task Force in 2022 to develop recommendations for policies and infrastructure that would enable CIE across the state. This multi-stakeholder group brought together representatives from health systems, payors, tribal nations, and community organizations to ensure diverse perspectives were integrated into the recommendations.

The Task Force's 33 recommendations, approved by the Michigan Health Information Technology Commission in 2023, have set the stage for Michigan’s next phase: implementation. The CIE Advisory Committee, which grew out of the Task Force, is now working on action strategies that focus on baseline policy, standards, and governance at local and state levels. Speakers from this session—including Greg Bloom of Open Referral, Marissa Ebersole-Wood of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and MiHIN’s Lisa Nicolaou—shared key lessons learned from Michigan’s approach to CIE. They discussed the challenges and opportunities of building an interoperable system that promotes equity across sectors, and the need for a "polycentric" governance structure.

While New York and Michigan are following distinct paths, both states are making significant strides in health data innovation. Their collective efforts demonstrate that strong governance, cross-sector collaboration, and a focus on equity are essential to advancing health data exchange nationwide. the broader themes of innovation and data-driven care are part of a national movement, one that Velatura remains actively involved in, leading efforts to push the boundaries of health data utility.

Collaboration in Interoperable Data Sharing

Lisa Bari, CEO of Civitas Networks for Health, reminded attendees that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to interoperable data sharing. Bari stressed the importance of collaboration across federal, state, and local levels to ensure data flows freely to support improved health outcomes for all.

The work of the Civitas Government Relations and Advocacy Committee (GRAC), which has been instrumental in federal policy advocacy and advancing health equity initiatives, further underscored the value of multi-stakeholder collaboration. Velatura’s involvement in these discussions emphasized the organization's commitment to fostering systems that allow for seamless data sharing and patient-centered care.

Moving Forward: A Collective Commitment to Health Equity

The 2024 Civitas Networks for Health Annual Conference served as a pivotal platform for advancing conversations around health data utility, patient-centered care, and health equity. From inspiring discussions led by leaders like Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II to practical applications of HDUs, the event demonstrated the power of bridging data and doing and using it to drive equitable and effective care.

As a multi-jurisdictional HDU, Velatura is bridging the gap between people, organizations, technology, and information. We remain committed to creating a more connected, equitable, and patient-centered healthcare system required by the advancements in data standards, technology and governance.

We invite you to join the conversation and explore how we can collectively drive meaningful change in healthcare's evolving landscape.