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| North Carolina Health Care Information and Communications Unit | |
|---|---|
| Name | North Carolina Health Care Information and Communications Unit |
| Formed | 1980s |
| Jurisdiction | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Parent agency | North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services |
| Headquarters | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Employees | est. 50–200 |
North Carolina Health Care Information and Communications Unit The North Carolina Health Care Information and Communications Unit is a state-level entity located in Raleigh within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating health care data and communications across the state. It operates at the intersection of public policy, health services, and technology, interfacing with hospitals, insurers, and regulatory bodies to support decision-making by state officials, legislators, and health system administrators. The Unit’s work connects to broader initiatives led by federal agencies and regional organizations that shape health information exchange and public health surveillance.
The Unit traces origin to initiatives in the 1980s and 1990s responding to nationwide movements such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and state-level health reform debates led by figures like Jim Hunt and Mike Easley. Early collaborations involved institutions such as Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Health Department to standardize hospital discharge data and provider licensing records. As electronic health record adoption increased following calls from George W. Bush administration programs and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services promotion of health IT, the Unit expanded to incorporate health information exchange projects similar to those seen in Indiana Health Information Exchange and Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative.
The Unit’s mission aligns with statutory mandates from the North Carolina General Assembly and directives from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to provide transparent, accurate health care information for policy makers such as members of the North Carolina General Assembly, regulatory agencies like the North Carolina Medical Board, and the public. Responsibilities include maintaining statewide databases analogous to systems run by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and reporting measures relevant to programs like Medicaid and initiatives led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Unit is organized within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services with divisions resembling those in other state data offices such as California Health and Human Services Agency and Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Leadership typically includes a director who reports to DHHS executives and works with units covering data analytics, communications, legal compliance, and IT operations. The Unit collaborates with licensing boards including the North Carolina Board of Nursing and the North Carolina Medical Board, and coordinates with academic partners such as East Carolina University and Appalachian State University.
Programs mirror national efforts by agencies like the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and include health facility reporting, hospital discharge datasets, provider directories, and consumer-facing dashboards similar to platforms used by New York State Department of Health and Washington State Department of Health. Services include technical assistance for electronic health record integration, support for population health metrics comparable to those tracked by Kaiser Family Foundation, and issuance of reports to stakeholders such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and regional hospital systems like Cone Health and Atrium Health.
The Unit collects standardized datasets from hospitals, clinics, and ambulatory centers following guidelines akin to the National Committee for Quality Assurance and reporting frameworks used by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Datasets encompass inpatient discharge records, emergency department utilization, and quality indicators that inform rate-setting and policy analyses performed for elected officials including members of the North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives. Reporting outputs include public data dashboards, technical briefs for the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, and compliance reports relating to statutes enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly.
The Unit maintains partnerships with federal entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and works with regional health information exchanges modeled after eHealth Exchange and state initiatives like the Vermont Health Information Exchange. Collaborative academic research involves Duke University Health System, UNC Health Care, and policy groups including the North Carolina Healthcare Association and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine.
Criticism of the Unit has paralleled debates faced by similar agencies, including concerns raised by consumer advocates like ACLU affiliates and health care transparency groups over data privacy and access governed by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 protections. Stakeholders such as North Carolina Physicians Network and hospital associations have occasionally contested data release methodologies, echoing disputes seen in other states regarding charge reporting and comparative quality metrics tied to organizations like the Leapfrog Group. Legal and legislative scrutiny has involved lawmakers on the North Carolina General Assembly as well as oversight inquiries influenced by media outlets such as The News & Observer.
Category:Health in North Carolina Category:State agencies of North Carolina