By Stephanie Fraser
Conference Correspondent, Answers Media Network
LinkedIn: Stephanie Fraser
Event: Civitas Networks for Health 2024 Annual Conference
When: October 2024
Where: Detroit MI
Read all the event coverage.
The third annual Civitas 2024 conference, recently held in Detroit, brought together state, regional and technical professionals, as well as policymakers, to discuss the latest advancements in data governance, AI applications, and community-centered strategies. With record attendance, members engaged in discussions focused on interoperability, health equity and data modernization, showcasing the crucial role of state and local voices in shaping the future of national healthcare policy.
Civitas CEO Lisa Bari kicked off the three-day event, highlighting Civitas’ growing impact on the healthcare landscape since its inception in 2021. The organization, which has expanded its network by 50 members in the past year, has been a leader in amplifying state and local voices on a national stage. “Bringing local implementers to the forefront is vital for the future of healthcare,” said Bari, referencing a published paper on health AI governance in the New England Journal of Medicine, as well as various state and regional partnerships, including Wisconsin, Utah, and Ohio, which are leading initiatives aimed at addressing health disparities, hypertension, and adverse childhood experiences.
Opening keynote, Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, Michigan’s HHS Policy and Planning Director, Ninah Sassy, and Dr. Phillip Levy from Wayne State U spotlighted the state’s data-driven approach to tackling health inequities for people of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michigan has since become a national beacon by effectively and strategically aligning real-time data insights with community health partners to flatten racial disparities in just nine months.
One of the conference highlights was an AI governance panel, featuring Dr. Micky Tripathi, Acting Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer of HHS and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy for ONC. The panel tackled the ethical and governance challenges posed by artificial intelligence in healthcare. Dr. Tripathi, underscored the critical need to prioritize patient safety and data integrity in AI systems. The panel also emphasized the importance of transparency and minimizing bias in AI models to build trust in healthcare applications.
AI was front and center at Civitas, with many sessions exploring the complexities of normalizing patient data from multiple systems for AI-driven models and the critical role of governance in ensuring bias-free and trustworthy AI systems.
The significance of real-time data and partnerships with data aggregators was also a recurring theme throughout the conference, with many sessions highlighting how data transparency and interoperability can drive better healthcare outcomes while reducing regulatory burdens on providers.
In a session led by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, leaders discussed their collaboration on exchanging clinical data using HL7 FHIR. The discussion focused on the need for standardized data exchange and the scalability of FHIR for national healthcare management, with examples demonstrating the potential for FHIR to streamline prior authorizations and simplify data-sharing processes.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Community Information Exchange (CIE) Task Force shared insights on reframing the approach to CIE as a community-driven, technology-agnostic initiative. The task force advocated for a flexible model that prioritizes community needs, stakeholder engagement, and equitable data governance, emphasizing the importance of local voices in decision-making processes.
The conference concluded with a keynote from Dr. Meena Seshamani, Deputy Administrator at CMS and Director of the Center for Medicare. Dr. Seshamani outlined the key priorities for Medicare in the coming years, including health equity, expanding access to care, and the integration of AI in clinical decision-making. Her remarks reinforced the themes of the conference: the importance of local and national partnerships, the need for data transparency, and the critical role of innovation in shaping the future of healthcare.
Looking ahead, Lisa Bari was joined on stage by Dan Chavez, Executive Director of 211 San Diego, to announce that next year’s conference will take place in Anaheim, California. Chavez highlighted the importance of continuing the vital conversations sparked at Civitas 2023, with a focus on expanding collaborative efforts like Project 211 and driving innovation in healthcare through community-centered approaches and data integration.
See you in Anaheim!