1,001 Reasons Why You Should Invest in Your Informatics Team

Oct 31, 2022 10:30am ‐ Oct 31, 2022 11:45am

Identification: IMA1

Credits: None available.

With the ever-increasing importance of organization expertise in data and analytics across projects and funding opportunities, informatics teams comprised of professionals with multidisciplinary backgrounds, in both clinical and computer science, are essential in increasing revenue, decreasing operational costs, and creating evidence-based policies and regulation. These teams are the forefront in innovation and translational approaches in solving public and population health issues within health center communities through the scientific approach of harnessing data to drive decisions. Informatics teams support the structure and maintenance of an enterprise-wide data management, which is the first step in transforming an organization’s adoption of data science. They also support federal policy efforts that target complementary areas, such as health IT standards, patient identification and matching, data governance, data privacy/security, and the creation of stronger financial incentives for care coordination through delivery and payment reform.This interactive session on building and investing in an informatics team will be led by health center leaders who have successfully built their informatics teams, demonstrating the added value across multiple facets of health center financial, regulatory, management, and clinical operations.

Lunch (on your own)

Oct 31, 2022 11:45am ‐ Oct 31, 2022 1:15pm

Identification: BRK6

Credits: None available.


Improved Financial Viability, Patient Experience, and Provider Workflows: Can We Do It All?

Oct 31, 2022 1:15pm ‐ Oct 31, 2022 2:30pm

Identification: IMA2

Credits: None available.

For community health centers serving a population of diverse languages, interpretation services represent a large budget item and a challenging workflow. Yet, culturally competent interpretation services are critical to meeting patient healthcare needs and advancing health equity. At Lowell Community Health Center, where 46 percent of patients are best served in a language other than English, we developed an innovative solution to save costs and improve clinical team and patient experiences. In 2021 we identified that our third-party interpretation service was being overutilized, and our in-house service underutilized, which represented both a large financial cost to the organization as well as a missed opportunity to access culturally competent interpreters highly knowledgeable about the local community and health care system. In response, we implemented an innovative technological and workflow change and also partnered with a mission-aligned telehealth vendor in order to revolutionize our interpreter services cost model and transform the clinical team and patient experience of working with interpreters. As a result, we achieved measurable improvements in clinical team and patient experience and saved $120,000 per year in interpretation costs. This innovation illustrates how, through careful change management strategies, workflow optimization has positive implications for virtual as well as in-person care.

Be ePIC: Restore Your Passion and Wellness to Best Serve Your Community

Oct 31, 2022 1:15pm ‐ Oct 31, 2022 2:30pm

Identification: IMC2

Credits: None available.

Are you engaged and inspired by what you do? Or have the pandemic and associated impacts left you overwhelmed, exhausted, and lacking motivation or even the compassion you once had? Steve Wiley knows first-hand what it’s like to be the latter and how to pursue and capture the former. He will share a story of transformation that was not dictated by job or role, but rather by passion, integrity, and creativity—applied right where he was! This session will guide you through an approach to take control of your job and your life regardless of current circumstances. By tapping into an inner passion that you value, in and outside of work, you will improve and achieve personal fulfillment and professional success. By maintaining a broader definition of integrity, you will enhance balance and self-worth. And, by embracing inner creativity, you will open the door to new possibilities, including a redefined purpose in your work. Imagine the collective impact of a workforce that embraces the Creative application of a Passion, sustained with Integrity. Be ePIC!

UDS+: Modernizing Health Center Program Data Reporting Strategies by Leveraging Data Interoperability Standards to Advance Patient-Centered Care Delivery and Health Equity

Oct 31, 2022 1:15pm ‐ Oct 31, 2022 2:30pm

Identification: IMB2

Credits: None available.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have partnered to modernize HRSA's Uniform Data System (UDS) and transform UDS from reporting aggregate data at the health center level to disaggregated and de-identified data at the patient level. Uniform Data System Patient Level Submission (UDS+) implementation will begin with the 2023 UDS reports that health centers will submit by February 15, 2024. Patient-level data will better support health centers with identifying and analyzing important factors that influence care seeking behavior, quality of care, and health outcomes. Additionally, these data will better inform resource and intervention investments, Health Center Program technical assistance strategies, as well as improve efforts to address health disparities. This session will review review Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) standards and describe UDS Patient Level Submission (UDS+) purpose, submission requirements, and how implementation will support Health Center Program health equity goals.

Refreshment Break

Oct 31, 2022 2:30pm ‐ Oct 31, 2022 3:00pm

Identification: BRK7

Credits: None available.


Cybersecurity: Know the Basics and Ask the Right Questions

Oct 31, 2022 3:00pm ‐ Oct 31, 2022 4:30pm

Identification: IMA3

Credits: None available.

With the rise in cyber-attacks of government agencies and large-scale companies, organizations large and small are questioning if they are doing all they should to protect their data. Security breaches, fines, and audits create a complexity of challenges for health centers to navigate. Join us for an interactive and engaging session on cybersecurity led by a Health Center IT leader as well as an Information Security specialist.

Revenue Cycle Workshop

Oct 31, 2022 3:00pm ‐ Oct 31, 2022 4:30pm

Identification: IMB3

Credits: None available.

The reimbursement financial landscape continues to evolve, and health centers must adapt to shifting payment mechanisms. As health centers prepare for more and newer value-based payment schemes, the efficiency and effectiveness of their revenue cycles become even more paramount. A strong revenue cycle ensures the foundation needed for health centers to remain solvent as they prepare for reimbursement innovations. This roundtable discussion will focus on revenue cycle challenges in community health centers across the country.

Innovation Workshop

Oct 31, 2022 3:00pm ‐ Oct 31, 2022 4:30pm

Identification: IMC3

Credits: None available.

In an ever-changing world, community health centers are asked to innovate, from creating brand new solutions to improving existing processes. Join NACHC’s Center for Community Health Innovation in this workshop where we will walk through the different types of innovation and put them in the health center context. Using examples from Operations and Workforce/Leadership, learn hands-on tools that you will be able to take to your organization to meaningfully generate ideas and create solutions that solve true root causes.