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WISHIN COO Steve Rottmann says it is “glaringly obvious” that HIEs are positioned to deliver social determinants of health (SDoH) information that can help meet healthcare equity goals.
Rottmann has been speaking at healthcare conventions and participating in virtual webinars sharing WISHIN’s success story as one of the first HIEs in the nation to earn Data Aggregator Validation (DAV) status from The National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
Nancy Lin from NCQA, who joined Rottmann at the Civitas Networks for Health conference in Texas in August, said validation from NCQA helps give WISHIN’s partners peace of mind and makes their data more valuable. “Health plans and providers save time by reducing the need for additional data audits and duplicative chart chases,” Lin said. She added that “organizations that earn DAV status really provide value in reducing the burden for HEDIS®.”
Rottmann noted the immediate dividends of DAV status for one of WISHIN’s partners, Network Health. Mallory Mueller, the director of quality and health integration at Network Health, said “Utilizing the data (from WISHIN) increased our rates and reduced administrative time and expense.” Rottmann and another panelist, Renee Towne of KPI Ninja, said the DAV status allows WISHIN to deliver value in a “unique and indispensable way.”
With a focus at the conference on health equity, Lin said “NCQA has launched two health equity programs, both of which guide healthcare organizations in advancing health equity.” Rottmann added that “WISHIN’s experience with NCQA and the DAV process positions WISHIN to provide untapped and valuable information about race, ethnicity, language and other social factors that are pieces of the health-equity puzzle.”
WISHIN and KPI Ninja recently published a case study detailing their joint efforts to become DAV certified, the evolution of electronic quality measures, and results of their collective efforts.
