'Monumental' Data Project Will Improve Outcomes, Reduce Costs
Published: Sept. 25, 2019
Partners in Nebraska’s health information system are taking next steps to improve health outcomes — and the state’s IT workforce — through data.
The Nebraska Health Information Initiative, or NEHII, has been working to link patient records collected by physicians, hospitals, pharmacies and other health care entities across the state for roughly a decade. An ER doctor in Kearney, for instance, now can check the medications and health history of a visiting Omahan who lands in her hospital.
But so far, that data has been put to limited use with questions involving larger groups of patients, known as population health. That may involve checking whether at-risk groups, such as diabetics, are getting recommended eye and foot screenings on time and reaching out to those who aren’t.
The new Nebraska Healthcare Collaborative will focus on bolstering both the expertise and tools needed to tap that data, said Jamie Bland, NEHII’s CEO.
Nebraska's 'Monumental' Data Project Key in Improving Health Outcomes, Reducing Costs
