Optimizing Care Coordination by Creating a Modern ‘Consent-to-Share Utility’

By Daniel Stein, President, SOC Institute Evidence clearly shows that the routine, secure sharing of relevant personal information among the many programs and systems that serve vulnerable children (education, healthcare, behavioral health, child welfare, social services, juvenile justice, etc.) greatly enhances care coordination, thereby systemically and meaningfully improving outcomes for this underserved population. But current […]

A New Training Program for the Next Normal

By Daniel Stein This quote from the latest newsletter from the California chapter of the National Association of Social Workers caught my eye: “Public and private programs, agencies and organizations nationwide are preparing to build, rebuild, and grow in 2021 and beyond. And – as the pandemic has demonstrated every day – the need will […]

A Transformation in Health IT Interoperability: Moving to a Person-Centered Focus

By Mary Kratz, Executive Vice President, Interoperability Institute The healthcare industry is undergoing a major transformation, not only vertically within the industry itself, but also horizontally in its intersections with other disciplines. And this change is happening – every day – as the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the pervasive impact of public health on schools, social […]

Government Should Not be a Vending Machine: The Role of Civic Tech

I recently attended the Community Information Exchange Summit, presented by 2–1–1 San Diego. Over 350 people from across North America gathered to discuss citizen-centric service delivery and bridging health and social services to build strong, thriving communities. At the center of the event was the story of 2–1–1 San Diego and its community information exchange […]

Toward Seamless Information & Referral: A Polycentric Experiment

By Derek Coursen, Adjunct Faculty, NYU Wagner School of Public Service                            Multiple levels of government and a myriad of nonprofit organizations offer an ever-changing array of specialized services to people who need them. But who directs traffic through all that complexity?The work of connecting people to services is known as information and referral. It’s a […]

Our 9th Annual Symposium: Reflections on the Possible

At the end of our three-day symposium at Johns Hopkins University earlier this month, I asked the attendees to describe their experience in just one word. Here’s a representative sampling of what we heard: “Exciting.” “Energizing.” “Thought-provoking” (is that one word?). “Insightful.” And my personal favorite: “Inspiring.” All of us at the Stewards of Change […]

Linking at the Edge of the Enterprise

When designers and programmers have put their best thinking into creating an enterprise information system, their energies and mental focus are on the collection, storage, retrieval and manipulation of the data that the enterprise needs to do business.  Whether it is criminal justice, health, human services or education, the enterprise is the primary purpose, and […]

Interoperability At The Tipping Point

Whatever you call it – a tipping point, a paradigm shift, an inflection point – we are on the verge of a fundamental shift in the way human services are designed, built and delivered across America.  Of course it is not by chance, but rather the dividend of a tremendous investment of energy, devotion, creativity […]

MEDICAID’S ENHANCED MATCH: DEAD OR ALIVE AFTER SUPREME COURT DECISION?

There are at least three reasons why the 90/10 Federal match will not be affected by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  First, the basis for changing the Medicaid match for IT systems is deeply rooted in federal regulation, not statute.  In effect, CMS simply […]