The HDC is a physician-led data sharing initiative that allows primary health care providers and their clinic staff to unleash the potential of their EMR systems. Our goal is to provide secure access to a core set of aggregated data that encourages self-reflection and facilitates quality improvements in patient care. The result, a more satisfying professional practice that leads to improved outcomes.
Progress and Accomplishments
- Over the last five months the HDC has achieved major milestones in:
- Technology Development and Vendor Engagement
- Physician Enrolment and Engagement
- Governance and Operations
- Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Partnerships
- Approved Measures
Technology Development and Vendor Engagement
In addition to releasing HDC 1.3 in June 2017, the HDC’s most significant recent achievements have been its success engaging vendors as future partners. HDC completed the design of adaptor solutions and Statements of Work for both TELUS (MedAccess, Osler and Wolf) and Intrahealth. Negotiations are in the process of being finalized.
Once these adaptors are built, an additional 56% of primary care EMR users will be able to participate in the HDC. This is in addition to the OSCAR and MOIS EMR users who currently represent approximately 39% of primary care EMR users in BC. This advancement will make it possible for 95% of family physicians who use EMRs to share data in the HDC.
Physician Enrolment and Engagement
HDC has been making steady progress with enrolment and engagement. Ongoing enrolment of legacy users has provided HDC with a base of real data upon which to develop its technology and data products.
Use is expanding within the OSCAR, MOIS and OSLER communities throughout province. HDC is n
| Enrolment as of: | May 15, 2017 | August 15, 2017 |
% |
| Patient Population |
202,215 |
232,492 |
15% |
| Patient Office Encounters Captured |
2,300,000 |
3,170,000 |
38% |
| Physicians Actively Enrolled |
98 |
159 |
62% |
| Clinics Enrolled |
70 |
83 |
19% |
| Divisions of Family Practice |
11 |
14 |
27% |
Use is expanding within the OSCAR, MOIS and OSLER communities throughout province. HDC is now active in 14 Divisions of Family Practice:
| · Chilliwack | · Kootenay Boundary |
| · Fraser North West | · Northern Interior Rural |
| · Surrey North Delta | · Prince George |
| · Comox | · North Peace |
| · South Island | · Pacific North West |
| · Victoria | · North Shore |
| · Interior Rural | · Vancouver |
Governance and Operations
With the assistance of expert consultants, HDC has developed a governance framework:
The majority of the Board is comprised of physician and specialist representatives, in addition to a minority of non-physician board members to contribute required expertise.
All board members have fiduciary duty to the HDC, in accordance with governance best practice.
Membership in the society has been defined to support HDC’s expansion across the province as a physician-led organization.
The Divisions of Family Practice and Specialist organizations will be invited to appoint physician representatives as Members of the HDC, moving us beyond the 25 Divisions of Family Practice which previously contributed to the Physician Data Collaborative (PDC). This invitation will be extended prior to election of the new Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting in 2018.
In June, HDC hired a communications manager. With the addition of this capacity, we look forward to working even more broadly and proactively with partner organizations, physicians, and clinic staff to support engagement and participation in the HDC.
Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Partnerships
HDC began a strategic planning process this spring and is currently consulting with partners to validate information and complete its planning. Interviews and discussions with dozens of stakeholders have informed the process of understanding the value of HDC data to physicians. HDC’s data governance methodology and ethics have been further refined in these conversations. These consultations have also confirmed interest for programs and initiatives already underway.
Enrolment interactions and EMR user groups provide HDC with physician input and feedback that informs strategic planning and provides ideas for ongoing improvements to the tool. Our team has interviewed specialists about the value of HDC data, and receives input from Shared Care, Practice Support Program (PSP), Divisions of Family Practice, health research leads at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN), BC Patient Safety and Quality Council, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Citizens’ Services, and many others.
The Practice Support Program (PSP) and HDC have identified strong potential to achieve collective impact and measure collective competence. Over months of dialogue and learning about respective goals and shared challenges, the HDC and PSP have determined a collaborative approach to make best use of resources. This approach will allow HDC to be the intelligent tool used by coaches and peer mentors to support physicians. It will also accelerate HDC enrolment, advancing the mutual goal of supporting physicians to use practice data to inform quality improvement goal-setting and action planning.
Update on Approved Measures
HDC’s Clinical Data Governance Committee (CDG) reviews and updates our inventory of measures so they remain relevant and aligned with current evidence and clinical guidelines. The following groups of measures have been approved by the CDG:
|
Approved Measures |
As of 4-Sep-2017 |
| Disease Prevalence |
22 |
| Disease Management |
44 |
| Disease Prevention |
12 |
| Disease Screening |
6 |
| Medication Prescribing |
60 |
| Patient Medical Home |
16 |
| Documentation Management |
40 |
| Total Measures Approved: |
200 |
Strategic Priorities September – December 2017
Since the HDC’s web application go-live in October 2016, many potential partners have expressed interest in the future use of the data. Determining how best to invest in these partnerships requires HDC to apply its emerging values and articulate its ongoing mission.
Over the past six months, consultations with stakeholders have identified aspects of HDC’s unique value proposition as the source of primary care data that bridges EMR systems. These discussions will help ensure that HDC meets the needs of physicians, while supporting a learning, innovative and sustainable healthcare system.
Final Thoughts
The following strategic principles continue to guide HDC’s efforts:
Be worthy of physicians’ trust
HDC is a grassroots initiative, based on the voluntary sharing of primary care data. This objective guides our transparency about the use of the data, and is informing our investment in Privacy by Design certification. The data sharing agreements with physicians provide the basis for this trust and the parameters for use of the data.
The HDC’s priority is to become established, trusted and understood by data contributors and others across the province. HDC continues to build that trust by operating within its data sharing agreements with physicians.
Develop the HDC product through collaboration
HDC is “the intelligent tool” available for use by many. Full use will be achieved through programs delivered by partners, including PSP coaches, Divisions and continuing professional development across the BC health system. As HDC builds its core technology, we are engaging with physicians and other partners to understand their needs and priorities. This focus on collaboration helps us avoid duplication of services and ensures that both the data and the tool will be useful to the greatest extent possible. Legacy contributors are already providing data that is informing the development of learning programs, including modules with UBC Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and the Northern Quality Improvement Collaborative (NQIC).
Achieve sustainability by demonstrating value
HDC is already demonstrating that its data is valuable to physicians and their partners by using examples from the experience of individual physicians and high enrolment Divisions of Family Practice. HDC is also a partner in two learning module pilots that will continue to demonstrate this value.
Are you interested in participating the HDC?
Please contact HDC Physician Engagement Consultant,
Rosemary Gray at rosemary.gray@hdcbc.ca or call her at 306-370-0167.
General enquiries can be sent to info@hdcbc.ca.
Thank you for your belief that this important work can be done by physicians. We look forward to building stronger relationships with physicians, Divisions and stakeholders, and welcome your input to further develop our services and tools.
Sincerely,
Kate Fagan Taylor, Executive Director
Health Data Coalition