What is the SMHP and the Health IT Roadmap?

The District’s State Medicaid Health IT Plan (SMHP) is DHCF’s 5-year roadmap for using health information technology (Health IT) to better connect District residents and providers and to ensure health information is available whenever and wherever it is needed.

The SMHP outlines six priority areas where health IT can improve patient and provider experience in the District:

• Supporting transitions of care
• Collecting and making effective use of social determinants of health data
• Providing analytics for population health
• Leveraging HIE for public health
• Supporting behavioral health system transformations
• Bolstering access to telehealth

2022 SMHP Update

The 2022 SMHP Update is intended to the review both the District’s progress to date against the goals of the 2018 State Medicaid Health IT Plan (SMHP) and discuss the current and future digital health needs within the Medicaid program. This report is divided into five sections that summarize findings, identify opportunities, and articulate recommendations derived from this SMHP Update effort.

The SMHP is the culmination of a broad, District-wide stakeholder engagement effort to better understand the health IT needs of key health system stakeholders, such as Medicaid beneficiaries and providers.

Section 5 of the 2022 SMHP Update details seven recommendations derived largely from the interviews and focus groups that were conducted as part of the stakeholder engagement effort for this project. Most of the recommendations flow directly from interview and focus group participants themselves and reflect what they believed needed to happen to address various challenges, leverage current assets, or strengthen the DC HIE.

The primary recommendations for DHCF and the District are as follows:

1. Develop and Publish a Bi-Annual Evaluation and Strategic Plan, including Metrics to Effectively Assess Digital Health Impact
2. Broaden and Deepen Investment in the DC HIE through Interagency Collaboration to Address Technology Gaps, Build Digital Health Capacity, and Support the Long-Term Sustainability of the DC HIE
3. Invest in District-wide Population Health Analytics, including Access to Priority Data
4. Engage Community-Based Organizations and Facilitate Partnerships with Clinical Providers to Expand Access and Use of Social Needs Information in the DC HIE
5. Enhance the DC HIE Consumer Experience, for both Providers and Patients
6. Improve Education and Communication to Increase Awareness of the DC HIE
7. Develop and Promote Payment Models and Provider Incentives to Drive Adoption and Use of the DC HIE

SMHP Continued Stakeholder Engagement

The SMHP is a living document and will be updated regularly. DHCF looks forward to continued engagement and collaboration with stakeholders as the District undertakes the goal of this plan to provide actionable health-related information whenever and wherever it is needed, to support patient-centered care and improve health outcomes.

All stakeholders are invited to help shape the District’s future health IT and HIE landscape by contacting the DHCF Health IT program at [email protected].

The SMHP is a requirement of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The document is updated biannually by Medicaid agencies to review health IT infrastructure, evaluate stakeholder needs, and define strategic goals.