HealtheConnections and Bronx RHIO Partner to Improve the Collection and Exchange of Race, Ethnicity and SDoH Data

HealtheConnections is pleased to announce our continued collaboration with the Bronx RHIO to lead a community-based approach to improve the collection and exchange of race, ethnicity, and Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) data. This project will also involve a partnership with the Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS) and The Institute for Family Health (IFH), one of the largest community health centers in New York State.

Health disparities along racial and ethnic lines are well documented and observed in most health-related measures. While race and ethnicity are required data points across various standards, including USCDI, PCMH, and DFF, ensuring the quality of these data is not always prioritized. Many of our participant healthcare organizations lack complete, consistent, and reliable data on the race and ethnicity of their patients and the underlying non-medical factors that may influence their health status. Without these data, they cannot accurately quantify where specific health disparities exist, and consequently, cannot design targeted interventions to help address the inequities.

Our project with the Bronx RHIO, CHCANYS, and IFH aims to improve data capture at the clinical source and establish a FHIR-based SHIN-NY standard for exchanging complete and reliable race, ethnicity, and SDoH data across QEs. Race and ethnicity data are critical for stratifying populations and identifying where gaps exist. SDoH data will help our participants better understand their patients’ needs so they can design effective interventions to close those gaps.