U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS – After a 20-year quest to create an integrated healthcare network and vastly improve care coordination and delivery in the USVI, the Bryan-Roach Administration today announced an Agreement with CRISP Shared Services, a nonprofit dedicated to improving health infrastructure and data exchange technology across the US mainland and now in the US Virgin Islands.
“In an era of rapid change and achievements in healthcare around the world, the USVI is still seeing far too many fall through the cracks of a decentralized, disconnected system for medical care, behavioral health, substance use, and social services,” said Governor Albert Bryan Jr. “With vision and great effort by many, our time has come in the USVI to adopt the lessons learned by those who have gone before us on a journey of transformation— and put in place the data exchange infrastructure we need to support equitable health outcomes,” he emphasized.
In 2021, the Bryan-Roach Administration pivoted to re-imagine how the Territory could finally achieve the goal of an integrated healthcare system. Former Policy Advisor, Dr. Julia Sheen, former Chief of Staff Knight, and Governor Bryan moved to centralize and coordinate efforts through standing up the Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT), appointing Michelle Francis as its director. The Office was created to design and build out interoperable health IT infrastructure, engage and educate doctors and patients on the benefit of utilizing digital health services to advance health and wellness, and equip the local workforce with the knowledge and technical skill to improve upon a modernized health IT foundation. In three years, with strategic focus, dedicated leadership and collaborative effort, OHIT has achieved significant progress on all fronts.
For Virgin Islanders and local providers, the USVI Health Information Exchange (HIE) – powered by CRISP Shared Services – means the technology and infrastructure to address the reality that patient medical information in the USVI is locked in silos in a variety of paper and electronic formats, making it extremely difficult to share the patient information needed to ensure faster and better care. The HIE actually enables our local the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, labs, pharmacies, and private providers to exchange a patient’s data through a reliable, secured data exchange so that both providers and patients have access to the health information they need wherever and whenever they need it.
TheHIE provides the USVI, for the first time, with a Master Patient Index that centralizes a person’s identity across multiple systems; an integration engine to query and retrieve labs, medication, and allergy information across different patient record systems; and much more. Additionally, CSS offers a CRISP encounter notification service, providing proactive alerts on admissions, discharges, transfers, lab results, and a national platform for data exchange beyond the Territory and across the U.S.
“Enterprise transformation of this scale requires consistent, collaborative effort,” explained Office of Heath IT Director, Michelle Francis. “The Department of Human Services Medicaid Director, Gary Smith, and I have been working together since 2020 to understand and integrate the health IT goals and resources of our local providers and agencies with the goals and incentive dollars from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare and the Office of the National Coordinator to access funding and resources for maximum impact,” she explained.
Both offices have been dedicated to securing the necessary funding and infrastructure, working closely with the provider community to finalize agreements and establish the technical foundation for data exchange. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to lead this office and play a role in bringing this much-needed, long-sought infrastructure to fruition. This advancement will improve data flows between providers, hospitals, and plans, while empowering patients with access to their medical records,” Director Francis added.
The data flowing via the HIE will allow for more timely, targeted care in a crisis and on a day-to-day basis. Within a few years, it will also play a significant role in how the USVI responds to major challenges from public health crisis like the COVID19 Pandemic to the rising costs of healthcare, while seamlessly connecting residents to behavioral health providers social service resources.
A single data sharing framework (Health Data Utility) is being developed in line with best practices for data exchange in the US. The purpose of the Health Data Utility is to establish a public-private partnership entity, comprised of multi-stakeholder governance to provide independent, accountable, and transparent guidance in how health data in the USVI is shared, exchanged, and used for specific purposes. More information on the Health Data Utility is expected in the coming months.
The announcement of this healthcare innovation achievement is being celebrated by federal partners and the other US Territories, including the Governor of Guam, the Honorable Lourdes Guerrero, expressing interest in partnering with OHIT and the Division of Medicaid to launch various health innovation projects, including an HIE.
To learn all about the HIE and what it means for healthcare in the US Virgin Islands, medical providers and the public at large are encouraged to attend the 3rd Annual Digital Health Summit from November 18 – 20, 2024 at The Westin Frenchman’s Reef on St. Thomas. This event offers an opportunity to meet the CRISP Shared Services technology team, explore the timeline for full HIE functionality, discover on-boarding processes for providers, and hear from nationally recognized health IT leaders on advancements and policy changes designed to enhance your healthcare experience. Registration is free and open to all via the Office of Health IT’s website at https://ohitusvi.com/summit-2024/.
The Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) was established by Governor Albert Bryan Jr. in 2021 to enhance health and wellness in the USVI through innovative and transformative health information technology resources. For more information about OHIT, visit www.ohitusvi.com .
CRISP Shared Services (CSS) is a nonprofit organization providing localized health infrastructure and data exchange technology and services to jurisdictions across the nation. CSS works with communities to develop industry-leading tools and programs designed to meet the specific needs of its local jurisdiction and populations, ultimately building innovative solutions for modern interconnected health networks. Today, CSS supports more than a dozen states and jurisdictions nationwide.
The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit transparency.vi.gov.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2024
Press Contacts:
Richard Motta Jr.
340-474-2399
richard.mottajr@go.vi.gov
Dynel Lang
Office of Health Information Technology
340-773-1404 X4862
dynel.lang@go.vi.gov
