The Health Data Coalition (HDC) is a physician-led data sharing initiative that encourages reflection and collaboration with colleagues and facilitates quality improvement in patient care. It’s funded by the General Practice Services Committee and powered by the enthusiasm and dedication of a growing number of family physicians.
As work begins around the province to create Primary Care Networks (PCN), it’s becoming increasingly important for Divisions of Family Practice to gather patient data to identify the health care needs of their communities. Population health data plays an important role in the process of applying for funding and allocating resources, whether the data is gathered from EMRs, through community engagement, or by evaluating past initiatives.
Strong data enables physicians to develop a clear understanding of how many patients in their communities need access to a primary care provider and identify gaps in care that can be filled by allied health providers and health authority services. Enrolling with HDC can help determine the resources and funding needed for your community.
In addition, viewing data through a community lens also allows for a broader understanding of health needs of residents, answering questions like “How many patients in the area are frail and will require support in the coming years?” and “How many patients are too economically challenged to afford medications?”
With the Intrahealth adaptor now in beta and nearing full release, HDC is inviting clinics who use Profile EMR to assist with testing. If interested, please contact info@hdcbc.ca.