BACKGROUND: In 2014, the WA State Legislature passed Senate Bill 6312 to integrate public funding for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. In response to this integration, Whatcom County Health Department (WCHD) prioritized the need to enhance the current behavioral health data and information infrastructure to better support staff and community partners’ needs and improve program and population health outcomes. The current methods for data collection, analysis, and dissemination within the WCHD Human Service’s programs are fragmented and silo-based. In result, this creates communication challenges among programs and inhibits demonstrating the comprehensive impact of interventions across behavioral health programs.
METHODS: Capitalizing on being a Project SHINE Fellowship host site, the 2016-2017 Informatics-Training In Place (I-TIPP) Fellow project has been dedicated to developing well-designed behavioral health data and information systems that supports staff and community partners’ needs. As of December 2016, WCHD staff and SHINE Fellow have utilized the collaborative requirements development methodology to apply practical application of the business process analysis to upgrade systems in order to provide actionable information as it relates to behavioral health promotion, substance use disorders, mental health, and homeless housing. Informatics tools such as context diagrams, business process matrix and issue management registers have served as planning tools, conversation starters, and engagement of staff in information and data management enhancements.
RESULTS: The result of using informatics tools to examine program efficiency and data collection and usability has assisted in identifying significant gaps in data infrastructure, program disruptions, and possible solutions for program improvement and delivery of services. The need to improve the current data collection and management systems to allow for increase efficiency in data analysis, program monitoring and evaluation was found across all programs.
CONCLUSIONS: In order to successfully improve behavioral health program performance and population health outcomes it is imperative to first understand how programs currently function, and how and where data and information is collected, utilized and disseminated. Application of informatics tools and strategies allows for a mapping of these systems and provides the opportunity to identify program and data management inefficiencies and the steps needed for improvements. Information gathered from this project will help to inform the creation of an information system that promotes communication and integration and provides automated routine analysis and decision support queries. Future direction also includes expanding the utilization of informatics tools for performance and contract management, and the community health assessment and improvement plan.