Establishing a Data-Sharing Environment for a 21st-Century Academic Health Center

Anjum Khurshid,William M Tierney,Justin F Rousseau,Steven B Andrews

doi:10.1055/s-0040-1709652

Abstract

Abstract Objective The main purpose of this study was to establish a seamless clinical data sharing system in a new medical school in partnership with community health systems. Methods We developed a Data Request Management System (DRMS) and a data request process to streamline access to and management of data for quality improvement, population health, and research. We utilized a four-pronged methodology in implementing our clinical data sharing system: data governance, data extraction, external relationships, and internal engagement. Results The Data Core team of honest data brokers through the established relationships, data use agreements, data request processes, and the DRMS processed more than 50 data requests from all the departments during its first year of operation. The DRMS application and the supporting governance and relationships provided a platform for improved process and accuracy of data sharing environment by facilitating trust, transparency, standardization, and service provisioning. Conclusion Developing a seamless data ecosystem that forms the basis of a learning health system between an academic health center and community health systems requires a combination of people (the Data Core team), processes (common data request process policies and procedures), and technology (an effective online DRMS). Future work is needed to measure the impact of the clinical data sharing system on efficiency and accuracy of data sharing.

Highlights

Background and SignificanceValue-based care, patient-centered research, and evidencebased interventions require reliable, accurate, and timely data
The Data Core team of honest data brokers through the established relationships, data use agreements, data request processes, and the Data Request Management System (DRMS) processed more than 50 data requests from all the departments during its first year of operation
Developing a seamless data ecosystem that forms the basis of a learning health system between an academic health center and community health systems requires a combination of people, processes, and technology

Summary

Introduction

Value-based care, patient-centered research, and evidencebased interventions require reliable, accurate, and timely data. Providers are frustrated with incomplete data and difficult, nonintuitive interfaces,[4,5,6] while patients are deprived of easy access to their own information, and researchers have no reliable source of information to assess outcomes for individual patients and populations.[7,8] better use of information has already brought tremendous changes and improvements in efficiency in many other industries like transportation, retail, and travel.[9] The healthcare industry needs to enter the 21st century so advancements in information technology can benefit providers, payers, and patients. We describe our efforts to establish a seamless clinical data sharing system in a new medical school in partnership with community health systems—a goal still unattained in most communities across the country.[10,11]

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Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion