Primary Care Association builds out new data system to become more efficient, with help of $250K grant from UnitedHealthcare

The Kentucky Primary Care Association is developing a new data system for its member clinics, with the help of a $250,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare, a major insurance company.

"The Centralized Healthcare And Revenue data Leading Innovation (CHARLI) is a value-based data system that provides a full view of care being provided to a patient from as many points of service as possible to close care gaps," the association said in a press release. "It will connect KPCA member clinics to managed-care organizations," which handle care for Medicaid patients, and the state's Kentucky Health Information Exchange.

It will serve more than 90 clinics in 86 counties that serve more than 1 million Kentuckians, including nearly 400,000 Medicaid recipients, the release said" "CHARLI will be implemented by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), or Community Health Centers, and Rural Health Clinics (RHC)."

By aggregating data from laboratories, hospitals, primary-care settings, specialists and any insurance claims, the release said, CHARLI will allow providers to "avoid unnecessary testing and can reach out to other health-care providers to coordinate patient care."

“This platform will reduce administrative costs to benefit payers and providers, but most importantly, it will provide value to the patients we serve,” said David Bolt, CEO of the Primary Care Association. “I want to thank UnitedHealthcare for its recognition of the value that CHARLI provides. Presently, we have more than 30 clinics in the process of onboarding the CHARLI platform. The system is now closing care gaps, with approved, certified data, on a monthly basis.”

KPCA spokesman Doug Hogan said in an email that the association is investing more than $750,000 in the project.  

“UnitedHealthcare is proud to support the improvement in systems integration and interoperability with KPCA,” Keith Payet, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kentucky, said in the release. He said it would improve efficiency “while allowing us to better address the needs of our members and the community we are privileged to serve.”