BIO
Health Data Utilities represent a new paradigm to support community-centric health data exchange. They serve as a resource to multiple stakeholders within a defined region with expanded purposes beyond clinical data exchange such as public health, social determinants of health, quality improvement, and value-based care.
Explore resources for Health Data Utilities below.
An HDU can be defined as one or more entities serving a specific geography, guided by a diverse stakeholder governance structure, that combine, enhance, and exchange disparate electronic health data sets for treatment, care coordination, quality improvement, population health, public health emergencies, and other public and community health purposes. HDUs build on existing technical, organizational, and trust infrastructure and can operate at both a statewide and regional level.
Health Data Utilities, despite their diverse implementations, share several key characteristics:
Neutrality and flexibility in meeting stakeholders’ goals
Designated authority for specific services
Sustainable
financing
Connected region or state geography
Multi-stakeholder, cross-sector participation
Modular infrastructure and advanced technical services
Public-private
partnerships
Public-private
partnerships
Participation in national networks
HDUs demonstrate vast, cutting-edge capabilities to provide data-driven support for both public and private health priorities and solve some of the most pressing challenges associated with making clean, matched, and normalized data available for research, quality improvement, and programs to improve population health.
Some common HDU capabilities include (hover over the images below to explore):
Longstanding HIEs are the foundational platform from which HDUs grow. HIEs have become essential for promoting whole-person care, driving value-based health system transformation, and supporting public health data modernization. This expansion of use cases is prompting the emergence of HDUs as health data exchange is no longer just moving clinical health data. Note: Some HIEs may choose not to explore the expanded role and scope of an HDU given potential challenges in governance, technical complexity, partnerships, and cost.
(e.g., electronic lab reporting,
immunization reporting, syndromic surveillance)
(e.g., claims data aggregation, eligibility,
and enrollment)
(e.g., SDOH, behavioral health, quality improve)
Health data utilities serve as nonprofit, community-governed entities positioned to provide robust health data to improve care; warrant accountable fee structures, public support, and require government intervention to prevent underfunding and ensure equitable participation; are designed to equitably serve the interests of diverse stakeholder groups; and are agile, prioritize stakeholder value, health data as a public good, and continuously evolve to meet emerging demands.
Civitas is excited to share our Health Data Utility resources. It is our mission to advance this field. Please reach out if you need support or would like to request a presentation from the Civitas team on this subject.
As the need for comprehensive health data and interoperability grows, the realms of HIE and health improvement are rapidly changing. This issue brief discusses Civitas Networks for Health and the Maryland Health Care Commission's work to define the key characteristics of emerging HDU models.
In follow up to Civitas Networks for Health and Maryland Health Care Commission’s Health Data Utility Issue Brief, the goal is for the Framework to assist collaborators and entities within states in assessing their current readiness level, identifying next steps, and actioning or furthering implementation of Health Data Utilities.
This four-part research project was conducted by Civitas Networks For Health CEO Lisa Bari, alongside two industry thought leaders, in an effort to understand how states engage with their regional HIEs.
Civitas Networks for Health has a new draft HDU resource. This supplement builds upon the foundational Health Data Utility Framework, addressing the evolving needs of health data governance, interoperability, and value-based care. Public comment is closed.
The CSRI Health Data Utility Maturity Model provides a flexible, aspirational framework to guide states and health data organizations in advancing toward more comprehensive, equitable, and effective health data infrastructure. Learn more by accessing the model.
We’ve made a lot of progress over the past few decades to prompt the emergence of Health Data Utilities across the country.
Click on a state to view details
Many Civitas members are utilizing existing health IT, health data, and quality improvement infrastructure to advance Health Data Utilities to further interoperability and improve health and health care delivery. Check out our community stories below.
California Department of Public Health
Read the case study about how the CDPH developed a disease-specific network for lab test reporting in real time.
SCHIO
Learn about how Santa Cruz County is leveraging health information exchange to improve care delivery for California's behavioral health clients.
CyncHealth
Discover how CyncHealth is working with dozens of health care and community-based organizations to build a social determinants of health ecosystem.
Manifest MedEx
Read about how LA county is using longitudinal patient records from Manifest MedEx to care for older adults and individuals experiencing homelessness.
CRISP, HSCRC, and Medisolv
Learn how these Maryland-based organizations are empowering health care organizations to collect and submit digital quality measures via HDU.
Arkansas SHARE
Read more about the work being done in Arkansas to enable interoperability via Health Data Utility.
North Carolina Department of Health Information Technology
Discover how North Carolina's HIE – NC HealthConnex – is supporting Black mothers with secure health data exchange.
Chesapeake Regional Information System for Our Patients (CRISP)
Learn how CRISP worked with Civitas Networks for Health to develop an HDU framework.
