title: The OCHIN community information network: bringing together community health centers, information technology, and data to support a patient-centered medical village.
abstract: Creating integrated, comprehensive care practices requires access to data and informatics expertise. Information technology (IT) resources are not readily available to individual practices. One model of shared IT resources and learning is a "patient-centered medical village." We describe the OCHIN Community Health Information Network as an example of this model; community practices have come together collectively to form an organization that leverages shared IT expertise, resources, and data, providing members with the means to fully capitalize on new technologies that support improved care. This collaborative facilitates the identification of "problem sheds" through surveillance of network-wide data, enables shared learning regarding best practices, and provides a "community laboratory" for practice-based research. As an example of a community of solution, OCHIN uses health IT and data-sharing innovations to enhance partnerships between public health leaders, clinicians in community health centers, informatics experts, and policy makers. OCHIN community partners benefit from the shared IT resource (eg, a linked electronic health record, centralized data warehouse, informatics, and improvement expertise). This patient-centered medical village provides (1) the collective mechanism to build community-tailored IT solutions, (2) "neighbors" to share data and improvement strategies, and (3) infrastructure to support innovations based on electronic health records across communities, using experimental approaches.
authors: OCHIN, Inc., 1881 SW Naito Parkway, Portland, OR 97201, USA. devoej@ohsu.edu
authors: Jennifer E
authors: JE
authors: Devoe
authors: Abigail
authors: A
authors: Sears
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003191:Comprehensive Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000458:organization & administration; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000458:organization & administration; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States
keywords: Community Health Care; Electronic Health Records; Health Information Technology; Patient-Centered Medical Home; Practice-based Research Network
references: Ann Fam Med. 2011 May-Jun;9(3):203-10
references: 21706905
references: J Am Board Fam Med. 2011 Sep-Oct;24(5):597-604
references: 21900444
references: Ann Fam Med. 2012 May-Jun;10(3):250-60
references: 22585890
references: J Am Board Fam Med. 2012 Sep-Oct;25(5):560-4
references: 22956690