09 Dec Health Data News Roundup: California Health Data Sharing Successes; The Sequoia Project Releases Educational Toolkit; and NCQA Podcast Interview

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Round Up from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

What California’s Health Data Sharing Moves Might Mean for Rest of U.S.
Following a year marked by notable regulatory changes and new frameworks on health data sharing across the U.S., California has implemented major initiatives, including the California Data Exchange Framework (DxF) and California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM).

The Sequoia Project Addresses Health Data Information Sharing with Educational Toolkit
Last week, the Sequoia Project released an informational and educational toolkit to support providers, health IT developers, health information networks and exchanges, and the greater healthcare community’s commitment to compliance with the federal Information Blocking Rule (IBR).

How AI-Driven Data Curation Could Advance Precision Medicine
The data curation requirements for successful precision medicine initiatives present hurdles for healthcare stakeholders, but AI could help alleviate that burden, according to this recent Healthtech Analytics article.

Hospital Billing Practices Won Billions in Extra Payments, Study Finds
Hospitals received billions of dollars in extra payments from insurers and government programs over a nine-year period by billing for higher-intensity care than what would be expected, according to a new Health Affairs study.

NCQA: Best Practices for Measuring Health Inequities
In last week’s episode of “Podnosis” from Fierce Healthcare, Rachel Harrington, Ph.D., assistant vice president of health equity sciences at NCQA, shares insights into the organization’s efforts to measure and improve health equity.

Supporting the Patient Experience During EHR Implementation
EHR implementation can improve the patient experience by consolidating multiple systems and enhancing access to personal health data through a single portal, according to this TechTarget feature story.

United Ways of California Builds New Enhanced Care Digital Referral Network (ECDRN) Aligned with State HHS Data Exchange Framework (DxF) Requirements
United Ways of California, the state network for United Ways, announced last week that it is building a new digital client referral framework to more effectively work with community-based organizations (CBOs) employing thousands of case workers helping 11 million residents across 20 California counties.