Health Center Controlled Network - Project Title: FY25 Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN): “HCCN5 Collaborative” Applicant: Community Health Access Network, a HCCN Address: 14 Manchester Sq. #235 Portsmouth, NH 03801 Web: www.chan-nh.org Current HCCN Grant No: U86CS45862 Project Director: Kate Simmons, HCCN5 Project Director Funding Requested: $955,000/year Email: ksimmons@bistatecpa.org Phone: 603-691-5901 PROJECT ABSTRACT In order to deliver affordable, accessible, and high-quality primary care, Health Center Program Grantees and Look-Alikes must have access to health information technology (IT). Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs), such as Community Health Access Network (CHAN) and CHAN’s subrecipient, the Vermont Rural Health Alliance (VRHA, a program of Bi-State Primary Care Association) leverage the size and expertise of a network to provide focused support to Participating Health Centers (PHCs) on areas including (1) Data management and analytics, (2) Interoperability of systems and digital health tools, (3) Uniform Data System Modernization (UDS+) implementation, (4) Digital Health Tools, and (5) Artificial Intelligence (AI). This work is summarized in CHAN’s mission, “to enable our [PHCs] to develop the program and resources necessary to assure access to efficient, effective quality health care for all clients in our communities, particularly the uninsured, Medicaid, and medically underserved populations.” CHAN has a 25+ year history of successful network partnerships, in service of New Hampshire’s health centers (and one Texas PHC!). VRHA has an 18-year history supporting Vermont’s health centers. This application represents the fifth round of HCCN funding in which CHAN and VRHA have collaborated (hence our Project Name, “HCCN5 Collaborative”). Other partners will include Bi-State Primary Care Association, HITEQ, Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors (particularly athenaHealth), the HCCN Task Force, and the HCCN National Collaborative. With HRSA funding, CHAN and subrecipient VRHA will perform the following activities: • In support of data management and analytics, we will maintain/expand data infrastructure, expand access to and utilization of data tools, support PHC data literacy, and support PHC utilization of analytics. • In support of interoperability and data sharing, we will establish/maintain interfaces and other integrations and provide support to PHCs to enhance data protection. • In support of UDS+, we will participate in the UDS Testing Collaborative, sharing information with PHCs and sharing PHC pain points and needs with HRSA. • In support of digital health tools, we will assist PHCs in EHR transitions and the adoption of other digital tools (e.g., Continuous Glucose Monitors, Blood Pressure Monitors, etc.), with a particular focus on helping PHC implement new workflows. • In support of AI, we will provide education and resources to PHCs about AI opportunities and concerns; we will also support PHC pilots and adoptions of AI tools. Within the first 90 days of the project, we will work with all PHCs to develop individualized work plans, tailoring these general activities to their specific needs. The HCCN5 Collaborative will support 22 PHCs: 21 Health Center Program Grantees and 1 Look-Alike. Our PHCs span over 180 sites and 3 states (NH, TX, and VT). This project has potential to impact up to 302,000 patients, 10% of whom are uninsured and 29% of whom are on Medicaid. Several PHCs serve homeless populations.
