April 2020
Hello.
The Wisconsin Health Information Organization recognizes that the continually changing Coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented situation for everyone — a time that is filled with uncertainty. In response, we have taken action to ensure continued service to our customers while protecting the health and safety of our employees. The WHIO staff are available through our WHIO email and phone numbers to respond to your questions and needs.
Using WHIO Information to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin
The Department of Health Services, Division of Medicaid Services (DMS), requested that the WHIO provide the DMS with a report of their members that may be at high-risk for serious COVID-19. With this information, the DMS is conducting outreach to its high-risk members. The WHIO is offering a similar report, free of charge, to our data contributors so they too can reach out to their high-risk members to help reduce the spread and mitigate the adverse health and financial outcomes of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.
From this analysis, the WHIO learned that about 33% of the individuals in the WHIO database might be at high risk for serious COVID-19. Because the WHIO data used for this analysis did not include Medicare FFS data, this percentage is likely low as advancing age is a predisposing risk factor. Unusual times call for new and innovative solutions. If you have an idea of how the WHIO information can be utilized to help Wisconsin organizations or citizens reduce the impact of COVID-19, please let me know.
InfoByte: Telehealth
With the heightened focus on telehealth as a public safety tool to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, the WHIO has re-released its summary of Telehealth in Wisconsin, initially published in November 2019. According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association: ‘Telemedicine is especially valuable’ in [the] fight against COVID-19, and many WI health plans are offering expanded coverage for telehealth services during the pandemic, including Medicare and Medicaid.[i]
Intelligence Bank: SID and ED Data Files
In February 2020, we released an update to the Standard Integrated Data (SID) file as well as a new Enhanced Data (ED) file, available to our Intelligence Bank customers. The incremental update to the SID brings in claims processed through September 2019. Our next SID file update is targeted for mid-April and will contain claims processed through December 2019. The ED file now contains claims data for July 2017 through June 2019. Follow the links to find the detailed release information for SID & ED, including the new naming conventions and installation instructions.
Applied Insights Reports
In February, we updated the Applied Insights reports incorporating data through June 2019 with the next update scheduled for mid-April with claims processed through September 2019. This update will increase the volume and breadth of data in the Applied Insights reports. The reports can be used to examine essential utilization metrics such as inpatient days and emergency department utilization, which compares an organization’s results to Wisconsin benchmarks. If you have previously logged into the Applied Insights portal, great! You don’t have to do anything further to access the most recent information. However, if you have not previously set up your account, or need to add report access for additional staff, please contact us at 1-800-844-3530.
You may contact me directly at Dana.Richardson@whio.org for more information on the WHIO.
Please be safe and stay healthy.
Dana Richardson
Chief Executive Officer
Wisconsin Health Information Organization
[i] Miston, B. (2020, March 22). Fox6Now.com. Retrieved from Wisconsin Hospital Association: ‘Telemedicine is especially valuable’ in fight against COVID-19: https://fox6now.com/2020/03/22/wisconsin-hospital-association-telemedicine-is-especially-valuable-in-fight-aganist-covid-19/