DEDICATE: aDvancing carE Management aDoption In Community heAlTh cEnters
DEDICATE: aDvancing carE Management aDoption In Community heAlTh cEnters
DEDICATE will refine and test the effectiveness of evidence-based implementation support strategies designed to support care management teams' sustained use of electronic health record (EHR)-based functionalities to address unmet non-medical health-related needs through improved clinical-community linkages. This study will test the hypothesis that providing implementation support to health center care management teams will lead to increased adoption of EHR functionalities and increased screenings and referrals to community organization to address unmet non-medical health-related needs needs through a cluster-randomized trial. This study's results will have implications for patients with non-medical health-related needs receiving care management in primary care settings.
The investigators will use a hybrid effectiveness-implementation mixed methods design to assess the impact of evidence-based implementation support strategies designed to support the care management teams' adoption of EHR functionalities that enable screening and referrals to community organizations for non-medical health-related needs. After conducting a three-month pilot study with three health centers to test and refine the implementation support strategies, 20 community-based health centers will be recruited to participate in a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial. Eligible OCHIN health centers include those that provide primary care, use an EHR-based care management tool for at least one care management or population health program that addresses non-medical health-related needs for more than 10 enrolled patients from April-June 2025. Once 20 health centers have been enrolled, health centers will be randomized to one of four wedges for staggered receipt of the intervention. This method will allow us to provide tailored support to five health centers at a time and enables all health centers to eventually receive the intervention. Participating sites will be provided implementation support strategies for using EHR-based functionalities to conduct screening and referrals for patients with unmet non-medical health-related needs. After receiving the intervention, participating health centers will be followed until Y4Q4 to assess primary and secondary outcomes.
The intervention includes implementation strategies to support adoption of EHR-based functionalities for non-medical health-related needs activities by care management teams in health centers. The intervention will be delivered to health center care management staff outside of patient care. Patients will not directly receive the intervention and will continue to receive regular care from the health center. For all study health centers, quantitative data will be collected (via EHR data extraction) on care team use of EHR functionalities and non-medical health-related needs screening and coordination provided by care teams. Limited clinical data will be collected on patients seen at included health centers during the study period. Qualitative data will also be collected, including semi-structured interviews with clinic staff from all enrolled study sites.
Inclusion Criteria
• • Health centers that use an EHR-based care management tool for at least one care management or population health program that addresses non-medical health-related needs for more than 10 enrolled patients from April-June 2025.
Exclusion Criteria