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Data Usability

Taking Root Movement

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Join the Data Usability Taking Root Movement

Be part of a cross-industry community of practice co-sponsored by AHIMA to support and implement data usability guidance published by The Sequoia Project Interoperability Matters Data Usability Workgroup. Data usability guidance leverages existing standards to address pain points from end users on the frontline. It’s one thing to get health data to the right place at the right time; it’s quite another to make sure that data is complete and useful. Together, we can improve the completeness and usability of data. View the Press Release. 

Planned deliverables include a round table for early supporters, the Data Usability Taking Root Summit, technical assistance & implementation community of practice, and testing platform and support services. 

Why Join Our Data Usability Initiative?

Because...
  • More complete data improves outcomes
  • Better data leads to better and timely decisions
  • Usable data is more actionble
  • Reduces clinician burden
  • Guidance promotes consistency across technologies
  • Practical, incremental improvements simplify implementation
  • Addresses a common challenge across all actors
  • It's the right thing to do

Data Usability Implementation Resources

Data Usability Implementation Guide
Compliance Readiness Checklist

The Importance of Data Usability

Hear from Didi Davis, from The Sequoia Project, and Steven Lane, from Health Gorilla, on the importance of data usability in healthcare.

Didi Davis

VP Informatics, Conformance & Interoperability
The Sequoia Project

Steven Lane, MD

Chief Medical Officer
Health Gorilla

Duncan Weatherston

CEO
Smile Digital Health

Lauren Riplinger

Chief Public Policy & Impact Officer
AHIMA

Three Levels of Engagement

Supporter

Pledges to support the data usability movement as a member of the interoperability community and the data usability community of practice. Invited to participate in workgroup to aid in the development V2.0 of the Data Usability Guide.

Sign Up
Sign Pledge*
*Please email completed document to TakingRoot@sequoiaproject.org.
Subscribe to Testing Platform

Implementer

Pledges to implement the Data Usability Taking Root movement by adopting the V1.0 Data Usability Guide that promotes consistency across technologies. Implementers can choose their own implementation pathway and pace as outlined in the terms and conditions.

Sign Up
Sign Pledge*
*Please email completed document to TakingRoot@sequoiaproject.org.
Subscribe to Testing Platform

Sponsor

Pledges to co-sponsor the Data Usability Taking Root movement. Invests in the development of materials, toolkits, convenings, and outreach to launch and grow the movement on a national scale. Evangelizes the purpose and power of this work.

Sign Up
Fact Sheet

The Value of Useful Data

Provenance & Traceability of Changes:

  • A public health can leverage provenance to distinguish administered vaccines from a later recording of an externally sourced vaccine to identify duplicate data.

Effective Use of Codes:

  • Allows patient history in the Individual Medical Management System (IMMS) or Vaccine Action Command and Coordination System (VACCS) to be exchanged consistently with codes.
  • Provides guidance for SARS-CoV-2 LOINC terms for COVID results, immunizations dose unit and lot number to improve semantic interoperability of data exchanged.
  • Makes immunization information distinct from patient or other party reports.

Data Tagging / Searchability:

  • Public health organization can search data that pertains to certain criteria such as diagnosis code.
  • Enables inclusion of Clinical Notes and Document Narrative Linking.

Provenance & Traceability of Changes:

  • Allows implementers to focus on consistency and presentation of provenance metadata in document sections.

Effective Use of Codes:

  • Enables clinical decision support, graphing and trending of lab data.

Reducing the Impact of Duplicates:

  • Known duplicates are identifiable between documents exchanged using consistent identifiers.

Data Integrity, Format and Trust:

  • Improves patient matching with use of consistent patient demographics.
  • Enables a complete picture of a patient’s history with use of patient summary and encounter documents to convey the complete patient story.

Data Tagging / Searchability:

  • Enables a provider to search for document titles pertaining to certain criteria, i.e., diagnosis code.

Effective Use of Narrative for Usability:

  • Enables consistent inclusion and linking of clinical narratives and notes with discrete data to provide mechanisms for clinicians to view and support better clinical decision making.

Provenance & Traceability of Changes:

  • Allows vendors/developers to focus on consistency and presentation of provenance metadata in document sections.

Effective Use of Codes:

  • Enables clinical decision support, concept-based search, graphing and trending of lab data within platforms.

Reducing the Impact of Duplicates:

  • Known duplicates are identifiable between documents exchanged using consistent identifiers within platforms.

Data Integrity, Format and Trust:

  • Improves patient matching with use of consistent patient demographics for data sent and received.
  • Supports a complete picture of a patient’s history with use of patient summary and encounter documents to convey the complete patient story.

Data Tagging / Searchability:

  • Enables a vendor platform to search for document titles which pertain to certain criteria, i.e., diagnosis code.

Effective Use of Narrative for Usability:

  • Enables vendor platforms to have consistent inclusion and linking of clinical narratives and notes with discrete data to provide mechanisms for clinicians to view and support better clinical decision making.

Provenance & Traceability of Changes:

  • Allows consumers to understand and filter on organization and date/time of data captured during their journey.

Effective Use of Codes:

  • Enables clinical decision support, graphing and trending of lab data.
  • Enables patient reported vaccines to be included in immunizations shared among providers.

Data Integrity, Format and Trust:

  • Enables the consumer to search and find data more easily with use of consistent patient demographics.
  • Enables the consumer to find and share their complete patient story with new providers.

Data Tagging / Searchability:

  • Enables a consumer to search for data related to certain criteria, such as diagnosis code.

Effective Use of Narrative for Usability:

  • Provides value to the consumer by including them in the clinical reasoning and thoughts of the authoring provider.

Provenance & Traceability of Changes:

  • Allows HIEs and HINs to focus on consistency and presentation of provenance metadata in on-demand created document sections.

Reducing the Impact of Duplicates:

  • Known duplicates are identifiable between documents exchanged using consistent identifiers within platforms.

Data Integrity, Format and Trust:

  • Improves patient matching with use of consistent patient demographics for data sent and received.
  • Supports a complete picture of a patient’s history with use of patient summary and encounter documents to convey the complete patient story.

Data Tagging / Searchability:

  • Enables an HIE/HIN platforms to search for document titles which pertain to certain criteria, i.e., diagnosis code.

Effective Use of Narrative for Usability:

  • Enables HIE/HIN platforms to have consistent inclusion and linking of clinical narratives and notes with discrete data to provide mechanisms for clinicians to view and support better clinical decision making.

Provenance & Traceability of Changes:

  • Allows operational staff to leverage provenance metadata to improve data searchability and audits.

Effective Use of Codes:

  • Enables clinical decision support, graphing and trending of lab data to make IT system more useful.

Reducing the Impact of Duplicates:

  • Known duplicates are identifiable between documents exchanged using consistent identifiers.

Data Integrity, Format and Trust:

  • Improves patient matching with use of consistent patient demographics.
  • Enables a complete picture of a patient’s history with use of patient summary and encounter documents to convey the complete patient story.

Effective Use of Narrative for Usability:

  • Enables consistent inclusion and linking of clinical narratives and notes with discrete data to provide mechanisms for clinicians to view and support better clinical decision making.

Why Data Usability Matters

Data usability is part of the DNA of the health information profession. We support this work not only because the public and private sectors together have made significant strides in health data interoperability, but because for over 96 years, AHIMA has been laser-focused on ensuring the completeness and usefulness of health data. Implementation of data usability guidance on a national scale will promote consistency across technologies that share data, at a time when more data are available and shared than ever before.
Amy MosserInterim Chief Executive Officer at AHIMA
Improving health data availability, usability, and accuracy for health providers, payers, patients and health apps is key to reducing clinical diagnostic and treatment errors that lead to thousands of unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths every year, and billions of unnecessary health insurance claims every year; and improving the overall health of patients.
Bart CarlsonFounder and CEO at Azuba
Our industry has worked for well over a decade to establish the connectivity and data exchange that providers and patients enjoy today to support treatment. In order to go to the next level of health data interoperability, we need to ensure that the huge quantity of data that we are exchanging is truly useful to the recipients. This requires adherence to established technical standards and inclusion of specific data elements to clarify how the received data can be integrated into local records and workflows. The initial Sequoia Data Usability Implementation Guide is a first step along a path toward more impactful information exchange to improve the quality and value of care for individuals and populations.
Steven LaneChief Medical Officer at Health Gorilla
As the stage is set for QHINs to become the onramp for national interoperability, a key element for adoption and ultimate success is that the data exchanged is accurate, complete and useful. It is to this end that MedAllies fully sponsors the Data Usability Taking Root Movement.
John Blair, MD CEO of MedAllies
Our industry has worked for well over a decade to establish the connectivity and data exchange that providers and patients enjoy today to support treatment.  In order to go to the next level of health data interoperability, we need to assure that the huge quantity of data that we are exchanging is truly useful to the recipients.  This requires adherence to established technical standards and inclusion of specific data elements to clarify how the received data can be integrated into local records and workflows.  The initial Sequoia Data Usability Implementation Guide is a first step along a path toward more impactful information exchange to improve the quality and value of care for individuals and populations.
Dr. William GreggVP Clinical Interoperability at HCA Healthcare and co-chair of The Sequoia Project’s Data Usability Workgroup
Data is the backbone of progress in health and health care improvement. Its usability is the driving force behind meaningful advancements. At Civitas Networks for Health, we recognize the pivotal role that data usability plays in improving patient care, driving research breakthroughs, and fostering collaboration across our industry – that is why we proudly support the Data Usability Taking Root initiative by the Sequoia Project. By prioritizing data usability, we can empower health and health care professionals to harness the true potential of information, transforming it into actionable insights that can save lives and enhance the well-being of individuals and communities. Together, let us cultivate an ecosystem where data becomes a powerful tool for innovation, enabling us to deliver the highest quality of care and health services to everyone.
Lisa BariCEO at Civitas Networks for Health

Thank you to our supporters!

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Watch the Member-Exclusive Launch

On May 31, 2023, The Sequoia Project Interoperability Matters Leadership Council received a preview of the Data Usability Taking Root movement, and the opportunity to be among the first to support this vital work.

Watch the Recording
Download the Slides

It's Time for Data Usability to Take Root

It’s one thing to get health data to the right place at the right time; it’s quite another to make sure that data is complete and useful. Complete the form to learn more about joining the movement, or contact us at TakingRoot@sequoiaproject.org

Data usability is enabled by:

  • Technical assistance
  • Community of practice
  • Testing platform services
Join the Movement

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