History

1997

Pioneering Access

The health care safety net providers in Travis County came together in the spring of 1997 to form the Integrated Care Collaboration (ICC), now Connxus, to address access and financing issues and obstacles to care for low-income and uninsured residents of Central Texas. Among the original goals of the ICC was the development of collaborative programs and projects that would help increase access, improve quality, and lower the costs of providing primary, specialty, and behavioral health care services and would lay the foundation for a more coordinated and integrated system of services for the region’s unfunded population.

2000

Growing Our Network

As the ICC began to develop programs, it became necessary to create a more formal structure in which to implement and monitor its efforts. As a result, the ICC was organized as a 501(c)(3) under Texas law. Members have been added to include health and social services providers, payers, and purchasers, including hospitals, health care networks, clinics, government agencies, non-profit organizations, individual providers, and others. In 2000 the ICC extended its membership into Williamson, Caldwell, and Hays Counties.

2002

Transforming Care

Through the efforts of these visionary providers, the foundation of a community health record was initiated and the first exchange of data among safety net providers began in 2002. As the ICare system grew in both the type and volume of data collected, the ICC was able to generate data and reports on a variety of disease specific (Diabetes, Asthma) conditions and service utilization issues across the area’s safety net system. The system gained a new wealth of information and the ability to begin to stratify patients by severity of need. Safety net providers had a new source of information for coordinating the care of their patients.

The strength of the ICC is that it is an organization established and led by safety net providers across a multi-county region. These providers work collaboratively to address multiple healthcare issues to the benefit of both the medically indigent and the community at large. The ICC has grown over time into a nationally recognized organization for their efforts in assisting community-wide transformation of care through their HIE system, ICare.

2018

A New Direction

• Assessment of current HIE environment in Texas, data completeness and quality, recommendations to address challenges, and technical enhancements
• Incomplete data, underutilized and costly platform, limited level of service

2019

Transformation

• Address infrastructure challenges, implement ED/IP real-time alerts and notifications across participants, and develop a new strategic plan
• Advancements
  • Data
    • More complete and timely data
    • Transition to Opt-Out model
  • Infrastructure
    • From a physical data center to the cloud (AWS)
    • Yearly risk assessment enhance privacy and security
    • Developed notification solution for high-risk patients and adopted Collective Medical for an all-inclusive ED/IP alerts and notification solution
  • Operations
    • Updated and enhance data release policy
    • Outsourced of specialized activities maintaining a nimble and highly qualified team in-house

2020

Diversion and Reassessment

• COVID-19 not only disrupted some of the steps forward for ICC, but also caused substantial challenges for all participant
• Branding
  • Collaboration: community, connection, common goals
  • Wellness: joy, health, thriving, prosperity, wholeness
  • Innovation: cutting-edge, progress, fresh
  • Empowerment: opportunity, ability
  • Equity: support
• Goals
  • Foster enhanced community collaboration in data exchange activities.
  • Advance data-driven solutions to improve health for all.
  • Strive for operational excellence to deliver value services.
  • Build a sustainable, adaptable organization promoting health equity.

2023

A New Name, A Renewed Commitment

• In 2023, ICC was rebranded to Connxus.
• Launch of SHIP (Social Health Information Platform)
  • A digital platform that facilitates data sharing across sectors and integrates clinical and social sector data into user-friendly longitudinal records.
  • SHIP makes health-related data (i.e. clinical + social) available in the workflow of care teams, including integrating with EHRs.
  • SHIP aims to:
    • turn data into easy-to-read, actionable visuals
    • facilitate efficient and comprehensive patient care and coordination for individuals
    • provide enhanced insights into community-level health issues, service gaps, and possible solutions across sectors
• Supported the 2024 statewide launch of ATLIS as a regional HIE, connecting hospitals and MCOs to this vital initiative.
• Advanced health equity efforts across Texas.
• Enhanced care coordination and community health.