The following resources were compiled to help Region VIII Community Health Centers stay informed about the new and changing world of Health Information Technology (HIT). Please contact the CHAMPS Clinical Quality Improvement Director if you have any questions about these materials or would like to share other useful resources you have found.

Please click or scroll down for:
HHS Resources
Region VIII Efforts
Cybersecurity Resources
Other HIT Resources

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (HHS)

HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Digital Healthcare Research
AHRQ’s National Resource Center for Health Information Technology includes press releases, grant and contract opportunities, and lessons learned.

HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC)
Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) Webpage
HCCNs are HRSA-funded entities that provide specialized training and technical assistance to take advantage of economies of scale in order to support health centers improve quality of care and patient safety by using health information technology to cut costs and improve care coordination. Region VIII HCCNs are indicated in the Region VIII Efforts section below.

HHS Health Information Technology (HIT)

Dashboard
Health IT Dashboard with facts about ONC programs and health IT initiatives, illustrating the impact of HITECH programs including Regional Extension Centers, Health IT Workforce Training, Meaningful Use, and more.

Health Information Exchange (HIE)
A comprehensive set of resources about Health Information Exchange (HIE) and how it relates to Meaningful Use.

Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy
Federal health IT initiatives, office activities, frequently asked questions, tools, programs, reports, links, etc.

HHS National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII)
NHII
An initiative to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and overall quality of health and health care in the U.S. through a network of interoperable systems of clinical, public health, and personal health information that would improve decision-making by making health information available when and where it is needed with a focus on the set of technologies, standards, applications, systems, values, and laws that support all facets of individual health, health care, and public health.

REGION VIII EFFORTS

Carina Health Network
Carina Health Network
Carina Health Network includes the Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN) that serves 20 Colorado health centers with over 190 clinic sites (including school-based clinics, pharmacies, and mobile units). Areas of focus include managed and accountable care, health information technology, and clinical quality improvement programming.

Great Plains Health Data Network (GPHDN)
GPHDN
The Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD), in partnership with the Wyoming Primary Care Association (WYPCA), forms the Great Plains Health Data Network (GPHDN). The GPHDN is a collaboration that will harness the strength of the Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCN) program to support the technical capacity of 11 health centers and 70 sites, collectively serving over 111,000 total patients in underserved and low-income urban and rural areas across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Montana Primary Care Association (MPCA) Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN) – Technology Innovations
Montana HCCN
Through a Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN) grant from the Bureau of Primary Care, MPCA is working with its members to develop and implement an aggregation and analytics system to drive quality improvement across the health center organizations in Montana. MPCA is facilitating discussions across the network focusing on the establishment of data governance policies and procedures, technology investment, and sharing of best practices.

North Dakota Health Information Network (NDHIN)
NDHIN
NDHIN was created out of the North Dakota Department of Information Technology as a statewide interoperable health information infrastructure consistent with emerging national standards. NDHIN’s mission is to advanc