PHIX is a regional nonprofit health information exchange (HIE) that facilitates the sharing of health information between hospitals, clinics, labs, and other providers in West Texas and Southern New Mexico. PHIX is partnering with health care and community organizations to extend data sharing beyond clinical data to include social determinates of health. Our goal is to bridge the technology gap between health care and community-based organizations to help facilitate patient centered care. This work includes partnerships with community-based organizations like food banks. The El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank has partnered with PHIX so that providers can send closed-loop electronic referrals for patients experiencing food insecurity and diet-related chronic conditions (eg, type 2 diabetes) to their Food FARMacy. Once received, the Food FARMacy coordinates care with patients and provides disease specific nutrition education and free groceries weekly. This level of care coordination, education, and intervention is an effective and innovative way to support whole-patient care. This approach to coordination across sectors helps patients overcome negative non-medical drivers of health and is the foundation for PHIX’s transition to a Health Data Utility model.
2. Outline a model and value proposition for developing a health data utility model at the regional level.