The NISAPP Workbook on Community Health Information Networks follows a similar strategy to that of institutional and hospital network integration. As the figure illustrates community health information networks are based on the various abilities of the organizations [1] within the network to access data. Many of these organizations may be healthcare providers [2] (i.e., hospitals, clinics, nursing homes) or health interested organizations [4] (i.e., public health, social services, employers, educational institutions).
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Legend for Community Network Integration of Information
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Numerical Key |
Description |
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1 |
Unique areas within a community contributing data and/or needing information on the health of a community's population. |
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2 |
The health care providers in a community that contribute data to a specific patient's history (i.e., hospitals, clinics, long term care, nursing, etc.). |
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3 |
The extent of a patient's history retained by an area. The depth of a patient's history is determined by the number of events that can be described about a patient (i.e., inpatient or outpatient visits, lab orders/results, radiology images). |
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4 |
Health interested organizations that may contribute data on population health or data on a health care concern not specifically related to the delivery of a health care service to a patient. |
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5 |
Population oriented data that describes the health status of a community and the community's utilization of health services. |
The unique aspects of a community health information network, as compared to either an institutional network or hospital network, are the reasons for sharing information. In all three cases, institutional, hospital and community networks, there is interest in sharing data and information that is directly related to the delivery of healthcare or providing a continuum of care. The healthcare providers in a community provide this continuum of services [2] . In the figure a community's repository has it's greatest depth where the various health care providers (i.e., hospitals, clinics) are contributing data to provide this continuum of care [3] . As the figure implies the vast majority of detailed, patient specific data is still being contributed by the healthcare providers to the community's healthcare data repository. Consequently, the technologies employed in contributing patient specific, patient care data and integrating information are those described in the earlier sections, such as hospital information systems, lab systems, teleradiology and Telemedicine.
There is an additional, unique focus, though, to a Community Health Information Network. While the focus of data sharing and integrated information within an institution, hospital network and among a community's healthcare providers is to enhance continuity of care while producing comprehensive information, the focus of a community health information network is to also involve other organizations within a community less interested in detailed patient specific data and more interested in population, summary oriented information [4] . In this case the NISAPP Workbook on Community Health Information Networks encourages its readers to include the development of a community network into an inspection of the health issues. This approach will allow the community to develop a system responsive to those health issues and that supports the ongoing monitoring of information to discover the health of a community and the community's utilization of services [5] . This information is clearly not patient specific, as illustrated in the figure, but it is based on the contributions to the healthcare repository of data maintained by healthcare providers, educational organizations, employers within a community and public agencies interested in monitoring the health of a population.
The process used in the NISAPP Workbook on Community Health Information Networks is also similar in that it investigates existing institutional or organizational technologies and finds opportunities to share technologies among interested community organizations. The process differs, though, in its basis in understanding the health concerns of a community along with considering technologies to employ in a network. The fundamental premise in the Community Health Information Network process is that health information is considered by more than organizations involved in providing healthcare services and, thus, should be driven by the information needs of the entire community. Consequently, the steps within the Community Health Information Network process are described as additional steps to a larger process of assessing the health of a community. The health assessment steps briefly described within the NISAPP Workbook on Community Health Information Networks are based on the Kansas Community Health Assessment Process (CHAP) and the corresponding Kansas CHAP Workbook. Another health assessment process can be substituted for the Kansas CHAP but the content should be similar since a Community Health Information Network is designed to be responsive to the health needs of a community.
The following describes each phase in the process. The descriptions provided highlight the function of the health assessment process and the Community Health Information Network process.
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Phase |
Description |
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1 |
Identify the individuals concerned with the health of the community and who are willing to develop a health plan as part of the community. Identify additional individuals who can begin to develop an information technology infrastructure that can assist in improving and monitoring the health of the community. |
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2 |
Identify and review data that describes the current health status of the community as a basis for pursuing greater information and making changes in the health systems within the community. |
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3 |
Collect data on the various health aspects of a community including community perceptions, health services, health systems and information technology infrastructure. |
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4 |
Analyze the data collected in the earlier step to begin to identify health concerns and the data that describes these concerns on an ongoing basis. |
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5 |
Review the data analyzed and develop a health plan for the community that encourages health services, health systems and information technology to be responsive to the desired direction of the community. Identify how information technology can be employed to enhance the delivery of health services, further support the health systems, and can be used to assist in monitoring the ongoing health of the community. |
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6 |
Put the health plan and community health information network plan into motion. |
For additional information contact Kelli Schneider @
(970) 207-9798 or
