PCCI Expert: Leslie Wainwright brings insights to panel at 2020 ONC Tech Forum

Leslie Wainwright, PhD, PCCI’s Chief Funding and Innovation Officer will bring her expert insights to a panel at the prestigious 2020 ONC Tech Forum at on August 11, 1:15 p.m.

Track 4: Tech in the Continuum of Care
Advancements in Interoperability of Social Determinants of Health Data
ONC supports collecting and sharing social determinants of health (SDOH) data through standards and certification, policy, and coordination across agencies and various stakeholders. This session will discuss standards gaps related to the collection of SDOH data and opportunities for enhanced interoperability. Panelists will discuss practical implementation examples, including development and use of FHIR for standardized exchange, tools to enable enhanced communication between provider and user types, and challenges of implementation of electronic referrals between health care and human services providers.

For more information to go: https://www.healthit.gov/news/events/2020-onc-tech-forum

About ONC

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is at the forefront of the administration’s health IT efforts and is a resource to the entire health system to support the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of nationwide health information exchange to improve health care. ONC is organizationally located within the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ONC is the principal federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. The position of National Coordinator was created in 2004, through an Executive Order, and legislatively mandated in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) of 2009.

 

PCCI updates COVID-19 Vulnerability Index, now accounting for mobility, recent cases

To better help inform the public and public health leaders in Dallas County, Parkland Center for Clinical innovation (PCCI) has updated its COVID-19 Vulnerability Index, adding dynamic factors such as recent mobility and positive COVID-19 test results.

 

Launched in June, PCCI’s Vulnerability Index determines communities at risk by examining comorbidity rates, including chronic illnesses such as hypertension, cancer, diabetes and heart disease; areas with high density of populations over the age of 65; and increased social deprivation such as lack of access to food, medicine, employment and transportation.

To further give a clearer view of the risk of COVID-19 holds for ZIP codes within Dallas County, the map now calibrates the infection risk on a 1-100 scale. With this scale and added dynamic factors, the map shows clearly where each ZIP code falls in terms of risk for infection for COVID-19. For example, the ZIP code with the highest Vulnerability Index score of 100, is 75211 around Cockrell Hill. One of the lowest ZIP codes, 75247, along I-35 just south of Love Field, has a Vulnerability Index score of .10.

“We continue to evolve the Vulnerability Index to help residents of Dallas County have the best understanding of how COVID-19 affects their neighborhoods,” Thomas Roderick, PhD, Senior Data and Applied Scientist at PCCI. “The Vulnerability Index map is an important element to help public health officials determine where to allocate testing and intervention resources, as well as underscore how important personal behavior, such as wearing mask and social distancing, are for individuals in high-risk areas.”

The PCCI COVID-19 Vulnerability Index can be found on its COVID-19 Hub for Dallas County at: https://covid-analytics-pccinnovation.hub.arcgis.com/.

Data Sources:

To build Vulnerability Index, PCCI relied on data from Parkland Health & Hospital System, Dallas County Health and Human Services Department, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, U.S. Census and SafeGraph.

In the news: Electronic Health Reporter on building connected communities of care

The healthcare technology outlet, Electronic Health Reporter, has published an article authored by PCCI’s Keith Kosel on his new book, “Building Connected Communities of Care.” This exclusive article to EHR, “Is your community ready to be connected,” gives insights into steps needed to build a connected community. Please click on the image below to read the entire article:

In the news: Big Unlock Podcast talks with Steve Miff on the new book, “Building Connected Communities of Care”

In this episode of the podcast, the Big Unloc, Dr. Steve Miff, President and CEO of Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) discusses how they build connected communities of care with a focus on cutting edge uses of data science, social determinants of health, and clinical expertise across clinical and healthcare community settings. Steve also speaks about his recent book – Building Connected Communities of Care – based on the experience at PCCI.

Click on the image below to listen to the whole podcast:

PCCI’s COO Named to Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners for 2020

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named Aida Somun, MBA, PMP, Chief Operating Officer at Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) in Dallas, to the Board of Examiners for the 2020 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence.

Appointed by the NIST Director, examiners are responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Baldrige Award, as well as other assessment-related tasks. The examiner board is composed of more than 325 leading experts competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, health care, and nonprofit (including government) organizations from across the United States.

Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition, demonstrating competencies related to customer focus, communication, ethics, action orientation, team building, and analytical skills. All members of the board must take part in a nationally ranked leadership development course based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework and the scoring/evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award. They must also complete an independent review of a Baldrige Award application or other comparable examiner task.

Somun has 16 years of experience as a business leader know for driving profitable growth, cost savings and delivery. She ensures operational excellence through consistent contributions to bottom line efficiency, performance and process improvements. She is most passionate about leading and influencing strategic decision making for operationalizing the right innovative programs focused on improving individual’s health, both physical as well as socio-economic.

Somun was recently honored by Dallas Business Journal as a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s 13th annual Women in Business Awards.

Named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987. Awards may be given annually to organizations in each of six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care, and nonprofit. The Award promotes innovation and excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. Since the first group was recognized in 1988, 129 awards have been presented to 121 organizations (including eight two-time award recipients). The 2019 winners are Adventist Health White Memorial, Los Angeles, CA (health care); Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), Pittsburgh, PA (nonprofit); City of Germantown, Germantown, TN (nonprofit); Howard Community College, Columbia, MD (education); Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Oak Brook, IL (nonprofit); and Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames, IA (health care).

NIST manages the Baldrige Award in close conjunction with the private sector.

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program also offers the 2019–2020 Baldrige Excellence Framework: Proven Leadership and Management Practices for High Performance, Baldrige Excellence Builder, nationally ranked leadership training, and other assessment tools. For information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the Baldrige Award application process, call (301) 975-2036, send an e-mail to baldrige@nist.gov, or visit http://www.nist.gov/baldrige.

Somun and other PCCI experts and business leaders are available to speak to your organization about the healthcare technology and how to leverage new innovation to support your community. Contact us HERE if you would like to learn more about our PCCI experts.

About Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation

Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) is an independent, not-for-profit, healthcare intelligence organization affiliated with Parkland Health & Hospital System. PCCI leverages clinical expertise, data science and social determinants of health to address the needs of vulnerable populations. We believe that data, done right, has the power to galvanize communities, inform leaders, and empower people.

 

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HIMSS Interview with co-authors of new PCCI book, ‘Building Connected Communities of Care’

Hosted by HIMSS, co-authors Steve Miff and Keith Kosel sat down to discuss their new book, “Building Connected Communities of Care.” In this virtual presentation, originally set for HIMSS 2020, Steve and Keith take listeners through the factors in today’s healthcare ecosystems that are driving the need for connected communities.

Please click on the file below to hear the HIMSS interview program.

PCCI’s COO, Aida Somun, earns accolades from Dallas Business Journal

Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation’s (PCCI) Chief Operating Officer, Aida Somun, MBA, PMP, has been named as a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal‘s 13th annual Women in Business Awards.

Each year, the Dallas Business Journal honors women leaders in their fields across a variety of industries — from banking to sports business — these women are being highlighted for their achievements in the workplace and beyond. Honorees this year include key executives at global companies and C-suite players at some of the region’s fastest-growing firms.

Somun has more than 16 years of experience as a business leader know for driving profitable growth, cost savings and delivery. She ensures operational excellence through consistent contributions to bottom line efficiency, performance and process improvements. The programs she participated in at PCCI have touched millions of lives and saved millions in healthcare costs for Dallas residents.

Additionally, for two years running, Aida has been named to the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Board of Examiners for the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence.

Aida is also a well-known speaker, having addressed top healthcare organizations, sharing her expertise on care optimization, safety net, provider strategies and connected communities of care. She is committed to supporting the empowerment of women in science and is a regular volunteer with Girl Scouts of America, serves as a mentor to female high school students in STEM, and supports the Future Leaders of Irving.

“Aida is an outstanding executive and colleague and a great example of the experts we have at PCCI,” said Steve Miff, PhD, CEO and President of PCCI. “She has a relentless pursuit for operational excellence, a keen eye for innovation and a passion to drive impact across our community. We couldn’t be prouder of the Dallas Business Journal honoring Aida.”

To learn more about PCCI’s experts or to inquire about healthcare technology leaders presenting to your organization virtually, please contact PCCI HERE.