The goal of the Hawaii County Beacon Consortium (HCBC) is to improve the health of the Hawaii Island residents through implementation of a series of health care system improvements and interventions across independent hospitals, physicians, and physician groups and in partnership with public and private health insurers. Engaging patients in their own health care is also a primary focus. The HCBC is targeting the following specific community objectives:
Improve access to primary care, specialty care, and behavioral health care through the implementation of a patient-centered medical home model and the use of telemedicine
Monitor patients more carefully and in a more targeted manner to help avert the onset and advancement of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol
Reduce health disparities for Native Hawaiians and other populations at risk by developing personalized interventions that ensure that Native Hawaiians receive the care they need
Assist physicians in achieving meaningful use of electronic health records, which will drive further improvements in health and health care delivery
There [are] about 175,000 people, we'll never have enough physicians to take care of the population. We can hire care coordinators in these different communities, hook them up with laptops, and have them go out in the field and provide access to care where the people are living and have that information flow back to the personal physician in the context of a patient-centered medical home.
–Mike Sayama, Ph.D., Hawaii County Beacon Consortium
Visit healthIT.gov to learn more about how health IT is helping patients, doctors, and stakeholders get the information they need, empowering them to make changes, and improving the nation's health.
