A new partnership aims to bring sustainability and innovation to providers in structurally underserved communities and safety net organizations.
OCHIN, which partners with national healthcare networks and has the largest collection of population health data in the country, and OSIS, which says it represents the largest network of NextGen Health Centers in the country, will collaborate to give healthcare providers more choice in electronic health record platforms and improve access reliability for 30% of patients in health centers across the United States.
WHY IT MATTERS
Shortages of technical staff and rising operational costs require efficient digital systems to enable high-quality care in healthcare.
OCHIN in Portland, Oregon and OSIS in Cincinnati know this all too well and are sinking their teeth into it.
In their announcement of the partnership on Tuesday, the organizations said they plan to address staff shortages by drawing on available talent and technical expertise within both organizations to fill critical positions.
OCHIN and OSIS are working together to “make an even greater and more lasting impact for the healthcare providers, patients and communities we serve,” according to a statement from Abby Sears, president and CEO of OCHIN.
The two national nonprofit organizations collectively serve more than 39,000 providers and over 9.3 million patients. While OSIS focuses on NextGen Healthcare EHR, EPM and EDR technology assistance to Community Health Centers across the country, OCHIN provides clinical insights and tailored technologies to expand patient access and improve interoperability in rural and medically underserved communities.
The organizations will remain independent but will work together to share resources to solve problems in both networks and realize operational savings through joint innovation, the organizations said.
“OSIS and OCHIN have been working simultaneously to address the same issues that impact the communities of our Community Health Centers,” OSIS CEO Jeff Lowrance said in a statement.
In addition to supporting members’ daily work by reducing technology burdens and better connecting care teams, OCHIN and OSIS said their partnership also aims to increase health center representation in national research and health equity advocacy efforts.
THE BIGGER TREND
Partnerships through accelerators and organizations help address the ongoing challenge of finding and retaining technical staff with the digital skills to maintain and protect complex healthcare networks and data.
Despite the growing demand for health IT, a study last year by analyst firm GlobalData highlighted the persistent shortage of technical skills.
Of the respondents, 43% said a lack of specialized skills and talent was the biggest barrier, while 40% added lack of funding and 36% cited organizational silos as additional barriers.
ON THE RECORD
“At the heart of the new partnership between OCHIN and OSIS is the shared belief that today’s health care system requires innovative approaches to connect and transform access to care,” Sears said in a statement.
Andrea Fox is Editor-in-Chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email address: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.