: The potential for serious medical error and poorer outcomes for vulnerable populations, particularly ethnic/minorities and immigrants is significant. Community Health Center's (CHCs) are more likely to serve ethnic minorities who suffer from significant health disparities than other healthcare delivery sites. In Hawaii, many of the patients who receive services from CHCs are immigrants with low-English proficiency with chronic (often multiple) illnesses. As a result, these patients will frequently require some healthcare provided at the tertiary care level.The urgent need for these health care providers and organizations to have access to complete clinical and diagnostic information on a patient, regardless of where the information was created and where it resides, becomes more imperative. However, data sharing between systems (such as CHCs and tertiary care) is fragmented and inconsistent. The Holomua Project provides an opportunity for this discontinuity in care to be addressed in a comprehensive manner. The Holomua Project represents a community-driven effort to bring CHCs and tertiary care providers together to develop innovative approaches to share data across systems. The Holomua Partners consist of the Hawaii Primary Care Association, the Kalihi-Palama Health Center, Kokua-Kalihi-Valley Health Center, Hawaii Pacific Health (representing 3 hospitals), and Queens Medical Center. These partners, along with nationally distinguished consultants and several supporting community, public health and research institutions, have been provided with a unique opportunity to develop plans for integration from the """"""""ground up"""""""" as the 3 largest hospital providers in the State prepare to migrate to the EPIC software system, allowing the systems to build in design features conducive to data sharing for continuity of care, in a proactive manner. Through the use of a Steering Committee, Advisory Committee, and several domain specific work groups, the Holomua Project will create an agreed upon implementation plan that should lead to successful systems integration in the following year. ? ?
