New Mexico Health Information Collaborative (NMHIC)

The overall goal of the New Mexico Health Information Collaborative (NMHIC) was to develop a community-wide (and eventually statewide) health information exchange that improves care coordination and chronic disease outcomes, and reduces unnecessary costs of care. In recognition that dramatic changes in health care will not occur with adopting IT alone, an additional goal was to create a culture of personal responsibility for health among the stakeholders (employees, employers, providers, and health systems and plans) and in particular among consumers. This was accomplished through four specific aims: (1) develop the organizational infrastructure; (2) develop community-wide disease-management prototypes (diabetes, pediatric asthma, depression, and low back pain) that utilize eHealth strategies to improve care and reduce costs; (3) establish a rural pilot which will serve as a model for other rural areas; and (4) evaluate the development, implementation, and outcomes of the health information collaborative. The Collaborative, initially driven by several business leaders with concerns over unrelenting escalation in health care costs, brought together businesses, health systems, and plans, philanthropic organizations, government, schools, and the University of New Mexico in the development of a health information exchange that enabled providers, employees/patients, and employers to work in concert to improve the health of each individual diagnosed with a chronic disease. Through Internet access to claims data that has been transformed into usable health information, providers and patients/employees are able to have access to comprehensive and relevant clinical data no matter where the patient received care. Community disease-management guidelines facilitate consistency of care among providers and assist patients in developing self-management goals. Employers received aggregate reports on the health of their workforce, enabling them to develop and measure the effectiveness of worksite wellness programs. Two main factors contributed to the success of this project: broad-based community collaboration and leadership, and uniqueness and innovation of the concept. A third strength is that the project was led by Lovelace Clinic Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit health services research organization, which has extensive experience in project management, disease management, dissemination of best practices, IT planning and development, and outcome measurement. Following the startup phase of this project, NMHIC was transferred to an independent, not-for-profit organization governed by community stakeholders.