HIMSS21 Changemaker Podcast: Alison Connelly-Flores of Urban Health Plan
Photo: Urban Health Plan
In the first episode of the HIMSS21 Changemaker Podcast series, a HIMSSCast production, Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard speaks with Alison Conelly-Flores, chief medical information officer at Urban Health Plan, a group of federally-qualified community health centers based in the Bronx, New York.
In this interview, Conelly-Flores explains how the provider's electronic health record and IT infrastructure were essential to its quick response as the COVID-19 public health emergency overwhelmed the city in spring of 2020. She describes UHP's targeted patient engagement efforts to ensure vaccines could reach as many people as possible. And she spotlights the value of managing social determinants of health, especially in underserved communities – something that's always been core to UHP's mission.
In June, HIMSS (parent company of Healthcare IT News) named the first recipients of the Changemakers in Health Awards, meant to recognize leaders worldwide who are harnessing information and technology toward better health outcomes. The awardees will be recognized at the 2021 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for August 9-13 in Las Vegas. Check back in the weeks and months ahead for more podcast interviews with other healthcare leaders from this year's list.
Themes and talking points in this Changemaker Podcast episode:
- An overview of Bronx-based Urban Health Plan and its patient population.
- Challenges and successes stories as CMIO at a FQHC.
- How UHP responded to the hard-hit early days of the COVID-19 crisis in NYC.
- Whether its technology infrastructure was up to the task as patient volumes increased.
- Telehealth: Where it was pre-pandemic, and how quickly it was scaled up?
- How virtual care and remote monitoring will be used by UHP going forward.
- The value of EHR optimization, and best practices for improving provider experience.
- Patient engagement strategies for UHP's vaccination outreach campaign.
- How the pandemic has highlighted the need for greater attention to SDOH.
Links related to this episode:
HIMSS names 2021 Changemaker Award winners
EHR helps Urban Health Plan attend to 'whole patient'
Readers share their stories of how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting them
Digital health tools can help with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
Medical groups urge racial data collection efforts for COVID-19 vaccinations
The role of health systems in empowering communities
Digital health literacy as a social determinant of health