Innovative partnership with Illinois Public Health Institute, Wellconnected and New Jersey Innovation Institute will advance equity and coordinated care for Chicago’s underserved
MARINA DEL REY, Calif., December 18, 2024 – 4medica®, a leader in health and social care data management and interoperability solutions, has been selected as the prime contractor for the Chicago Regionwide Community Information Exchange® (CIE), a groundbreaking initiative led by the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI). This effort, developed in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development (BED), aims to create a unified network that connects healthcare providers, social services, and community-based organizations to better address the needs of underserved populations in Chicago.
“The Chicago Regionwide CIE represents a transformative step in addressing the complex needs of our communities. By integrating health and social care data through a unified framework, we can improve care coordination for underserved populations, including those experiencing homelessness. This initiative builds a foundation for advancing health equity and ensuring that no one falls through the cracks.”
The Chicago Regionwide CIE represents an innovative approach to integrating health and social care, combining advanced data-sharing technology with a community-centered governance model. Unlike traditional health information exchanges (HIEs), the CIE focuses on social determinants of health—such as housing instability, food insecurity, and access to care—while enabling seamless collaboration among providers.
“4medica is thrilled to partner with IPHI and its stakeholders in pioneering this innovative approach to whole-person care,” said Gregg Church, President of 4medica. “By integrating community health and social services into a single, unified system, we’re supporting a foundation of community care that prioritizes equitable access and improved outcomes.”
As the prime contractor for the Chicago Regionwide CIE, 4medica will deliver a secure, cloud-based data sharing platform that facilitates seamless information exchange and improved care coordination across participating organizations. Key features of 4medica’s interoperable architecture include advanced data integration tools, precise identity matching algorithms, and a user-friendly interface for managing clinical and social service data.
Wellconnected, a key partner in the initiative, will support referral management and care coordination through its allco platform. This system enables seamless tracking of services, such as housing support and behavioral health counseling, ensuring providers can collaborate effectively. The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) will deliver training, implementation support, and operational expertise, ensuring participating organizations can adopt and maximize the benefits of the CIE.
“The Chicago Regionwide CIE represents a transformative step in addressing the complex needs of our communities,” said Waldo Mikels-Carrasco, Director of the Center for Health Information Sharing and Innovation at IPHI and the CIE’s founding Managing Director. “By integrating health and social care data through a unified framework, we can improve care coordination for underserved populations, including those experiencing homelessness. This initiative builds a foundation for advancing health equity and ensuring that no one falls through the cracks.”
In its initial phase, the integrated CIE network will prioritize two critical areas that address the distinct needs of Chicagoans and Cook County residents. First, it will enhance coordination of medical respite care, ensuring individuals experiencing homelessness receive transitional medical support after hospital discharge. Second, the initiative will improve healthcare delivery within shelters by integrating social and medical data, enabling more comprehensive, holistic support for individuals and families.
The CIE aims to streamline care coordination, minimize inefficiencies, and eliminate duplicative efforts in these areas. Other areas of focus will be added in successive phases over time, ultimately creating a more equitable and effective system of care.
“Collaboration is key to this initiative,” said Duane Conners, CEO of Wellconnected. “By combining allco with 4medica’s robust data-sharing technology and NJII’s expertise, we’re creating a more connected, equitable system of care that meets the diverse needs of Chicago and neighboring communities.”
Jennifer D’Angelo, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President of Healthcare, New Jersey Innovation Institute, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the partnership’s synergistic alliance. “This collaboration represents a first-of-its-kind initiative to unify care delivery in Chicago, laying the groundwork for a scalable framework that can enhance public health and care coordination across communities nationwide.”
About 4medica
4medica® (founded 1998) solves health and social care data exchange and management challenges, enabling real-time identity matching, clinical and non-clinical interoperability, and improved whole-person outcomes. The company’s SaaS solutions streamline identity management and person-centric data exchange, ensuring accurate data capture with a best-in-class 99% accuracy rate. The 4medica cloud-based platform simplifies connectivity, minimizes costs (no special hardware or software needed), and reduces implementation time to weeks. 4medica connects over 125 million individuals and care providers across HIEs, CIEs, hospitals, payers, ACOS, and more nationwide. Visit 4medica.com to learn more.
About Illinois Public Health Institute
The Illinois Public Health Institute collaborates to advance health justice through equitable policy, systems, and institutional change. Fueled by a vision that all people and communities have a fair and just opportunity to be healthy and thrive, IPHI collaborates across sectors to transform health by influencing policy, catalyzing innovations, and building community capacity. Learn more at http://iphionline.org.
About New Jersey Innovation Institute
New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is a 501c3 organization wholly owned by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). As an independent corporation, NJII is uniquely positioned to be agile, entrepreneurial, and opportunistic. NJII is focused on accelerating technology and fostering innovation to have a positive economic impact in New Jersey. To date, NJII has generated over $330M in revenue during its ten years of operation across its divisions (AI/ML, Defense, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare and Learning & Development) and today has a team of 100+ members. Learn more at www.njii.com.
About Wellconnected
Wellconnected was formed in 2021 as a mission-driven startup aiming to create a better social safety net for the people in our society who need help. Through its ‘allco’ software, the company brings a networked enterprise platform to a fractious and inefficient industry, driving collaboration between nonprofits and their funders. Wellconnected has expanded throughout New York state, New Jersey and West Virginia, where government entities and foundations are driving adoption to thousands of nonprofits. To learn more about wellconnected, visit, www.getwellconnected.co/.
