Maine Primary Care Association (MPCA), current recipient of H2QCS30272 & HQCCS41870, proposes to continue the Community Health Center Network of Maine (CHCNet) program, with 16 participating health centers (PHC): 15 H80 centers and 1 Look-Alike. MPCA has worked with Maine’s community health centers for 20 years, an HCCN grant recipient for 15 years.
Building on current technological capacity and data analytic capability, MPCA will broaden efforts to address variation in need and resources among PHCs and assist them with evolution of data standards and incorporation of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) information into patient care plans. CHCNet’s proposed activities will assist the PHC network to strengthen the capacity to transmit health and care plan information between providers, to maintain data security, to broaden patient engagement through use of digital health tools, and to incorporate technology to reduce provider burden and increase access to care.
Health centers lead CHCNet’s efforts. MPCA’s Board of Directors oversees performance on HCCN objectives. Leaders from each PHC communicate priorities and strategies through the CHCNet Advisory Board. The CHCNet Steering Committee, consisting of representatives from four to six PHCs, identifies the most efficient and effective methods to meet program goals.
CHCNet activities will engage PHCs through multiple means. Network-wide trainings will share information, tools, and processes regardless of the information system a PHC uses. MPCA and contractor, Health Initiatives Consulting (HIC), will facilitate workgroups of PHCs using similar platforms or digital tools. Individualized TA and work plan development will address each PHC’s challenges. CHCNet will coordinate with MPCA’s patient safety organization (MePCA PSO), and quality improvement team to ensure patients are central to care strategies. MePCA PSO provides safe harbor and a secure repository for data to enable improvement of patient safety and health care quality under the provisions of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005
In support of network-wide sub-group trainings and support, MPCA will enlist assistance of subject matter experts at Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), Community Care Partnership of Maine (CCPM), and HIC. ECRI, providing guidance on improving safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across healthcare settings, brings expertise on the role of health technology and data in maintaining and strengthening patient safety and protection of patient privacy. CCPM, an FQHC-led ACO, offers tools and processes for quality and value-based reporting to Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers, including data for joint members of CCPM and CHCNet. HIC, a contractor supporting multiple HCCNs, and FQHCs, provides analytic capabilities and broad knowledge of EHRs and health IT.
Social barriers can prevent access to care as readily as can geographic and financial ones. Existing work, including an equity and racial justice process will educate organizational leaders. MPCA’s collaboration with equity partners and expansion of trauma-informed care will establish a foundation to integrate equity into health center operations along with increased integration of community health workers.
The clinical, operational, and information technology resources within the member centers; the CHCNet MPCA team’s data management and analysis, communication, and technical skills; and the expertise from CCPM, HIC, ECRI, MePCA PSO, and MPCA’s quality improvement team will enable CHCNet to meet the objectives of the HCCN cooperative agreement.