MDLand Automates and Simplifies Public Health Reporting and Research Data Transfer through Interoperability Pilot, in Partnership with AHRQ, DOH, CDC and Westat
New York, NY – MDLand partnered with Westat, a contractor for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), on the Making Electronic Data More Available for Research and Public Health (MedMorph) pilot for the Hepatitis C use case. Other key partners included the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH), the recipient of the case reports, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the sponsor of the pilot.
The MedMorph pilot focused on the Hepatitis C population. By leveraging Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources FHIR® and other relevant health data and exchange standards to automate patient data exchange. It aimed to improve the timeliness and quality of data received by public health and research. It also reduced the burden on health care providers and patients. MedMorph works to achieve interoperable real-time clinical data exchange as the common architecture between systems.
“We have reached a point in our nation, especially because of the pandemic, where we need to closely reevaluate and reconfigure numerous health systems to better serve medical staff and patients,” said Tess Miller, DrPH, Acting Director of AHRQ’s Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement. “This partnership looks to breakdown silos that exist between health data and platforms. This way, clinical and public health professionals can exchange meaningful health data to achieve the best outcomes for patients.”
Russ Mardon, Westat project director, said “This pilot was a key step in demonstrating the use of the MedMorph software to automate data exchange. The implementation successes and the lessons learned that emerged during the evaluation pave the way for further development and testing across a range of use cases.”
James Long, co-founder and CEO of MDLand, said: “interoperability is key to improving healthcare results and can only be achieved by working together to achieve the best patient outcomes.”
COVID-19 & Healthcare Interconnectivity
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the cracks in the U.S. public health infrastructure. It brought light the inefficiencies, slowness, and incompleteness of data exchange between health information systems and public health agencies (PHAs). As a result, electronic case reporting (eCR), which also uses the MedMorph reference architecture, is now required under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability (PI) category. MDLand looks to achieve interoperable clinical data exchange between its iClinic EHR system, public health and research systems for multiple conditions and uses.
In supporting the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid System (CMS) Promoting Interoperability regulations for eCR and automating patient data exchange, MDLand empowers its providers to stay compliant. Meanwhile, clinical workflows can be streamlined. This increases productivity, and ultimately, enhances overall patient care and outcomes.
About AHRQ
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is the lead federal agency for improving health care quality for the nation. AHRQ produces evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable, and works within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and with other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used. AHRQ focuses on three core competencies: health systems research, practice improvement, and data and analysis.
About NYCDOHMH
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world. As one of the nation’s oldest public health agencies, it protects the health of more than 8 million New Yorkers. It acts as an oversight agency to monitor various healthcare-related operations within New York City.
About CDC
CDC is the nation’s leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public’s health. For more than 70 years, CDC has put science into action to help children stay healthy. They help families, businesses, and communities fight disease and stay strong, while maintaining public health.
About Westat
Westat is a leader in research, data collection and analysis, technical assistance, evaluation, and communications. Their evidence-based findings help clients in government and the private sector accelerate advancements in health, education, transportation and economic policy.
About MDLand
MDLand International, delivering one of the major EHR platforms in NYC, is a leading health information technology company. It provides cloud-based certified EHRs, practice management systems and a population health platform to practices and healthcare organizations.
