Sharing Health Data Across Systems to Coordinate Care and Deliver Services
In each county, there is a small population of residents with complex health and social needs that are difficult to meet without coordinating services and supports across systems and providers. Integrating health information with information from other systems is one way to improve how residents receive the treatment and services needed to improve their health and well-being but accessing, using and sharing health data is often viewed as a significant barrier to advancing streamlined solutions that deliver effective interventions and improve the outcomes of the targeted population. During the 2018 NACo Health and Justice Forum in Shelby County, Tenn., we hosted the workshop, “Sharing Health Data Across Systems to Coordinate Care and Deliver Services,” to address how counties can overcome misconceptions about health information sharing and strategies for success. Attendees learned from a national expert on navigating health privacy laws and heard from counties that share health data across systems to improve outcomes.