After 20 years of trying to create a better health care system in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bryan-Roach administration announced on Friday that they are partnering with CRISP Shared Services. This nonprofit group helps improve health technology and data sharing on the U.S. mainland and will now offer its services in the USVI.
“In an era of rapid change and achievements in health care 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 Gov. 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.
Medical providers and the public are invited to the 3rd Annual Digital Health Summit from Nov. 18 to 20 at The Westin Frenchman’s Reef on St. Thomas to learn more about the Health Information Exchange (HIE) and its impact on health care in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the press release.
This event is a great chance to meet the CRISP Shared Services technology team, learn about the timeline for full HIE operations, understand how providers can get involved, and listen to expert speakers on health technology and policy changes that can improve your health care experience. Registration is free and open to everyone on the Office of Health Information Technology’s (OHIT) website, the press release stated.
In 2021, the Bryan-Roach administration shifted its approach to reenvision the path toward establishing an integrated health care system in the territory. Former Policy Advisor Julia Sheen, former Chief of Staff Karl Knight, and Bryan initiated a centralized effort by launching the OHIT and appointing Michelle Francis as its director, the release stated.
OHIT was created to build a modern health technology system, teach health care providers and patients about the benefits of digital health services, and help the local workforce learn the skills they need. Over the last three years, with solid planning, committed leadership, and teamwork, OHIT has made significant progress in all of these areas, it said.
For people in the Virgin Islands and local health care providers, the HIE helps solve the problem of scattered patient medical records. Right now, this information is kept in different paper and electronic forms, making it hard to share the data needed for quicker and better patient care. The HIE, backed by CRISP Shared Services, offers the technology and support needed to fix this issue, the release stated.
The HIE allows the Virgin Islands Health Department, Human Services Department, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, laboratories, pharmacies, and private providers to share patient data through a secure and reliable data exchange. This system ensures that health care providers and patients can access the necessary health information anytime and anywhere, it said.
The HIE is bringing a Master Patient Index to the USVI for the first time, which helps keep track of people’s identities in one place. It also includes a tool that can gather lab results, medication information, and allergy details from different patient records. Additionally, CRISP provides a notification service that sends alerts about patient admissions, discharges, transfers, and lab results, and it allows for sharing data with places outside the territory across the U.S., the release stated.
“Enterprise transformation of this scale requires consistent, collaborative effort,” explained 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, the release stated.
“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,” Francis added.
The data shared through the HIE will help provide faster and better care during emergencies and daily situations. In the future, it will be important in dealing with big challenges in the USVI, like public health issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing health care costs. Additionally, the HIE will make it easier for residents to connect with mental health providers and social services, the release stated.
A new system called the Health Data Utility is being created to help share health information better in the U.S. The goal is to form a partnership with different groups to provide clear and fair rules on how health data in the USVI will be shared and used. More information about the Health Data Utility will be shared in the coming months, it said.
The announcement of this health care innovation achievement is being celebrated by federal partners and the other U.S. Territories, including the Governor of Guam, the Honorable Lourdes Guerrero, who are expressing interest in partnering with OHIT and the Division of Medicaid to launch various health innovation projects, including an HIE, it said.
For more information about OHIT, visit www.ohitusvi.com.
