The Use Case Factory®
In the world of health information exchange, a use case is a unique instance of sharing a specific type of information regarding patients and their health.
Rather than making technology the starting point, Michigan’s approach to Health Information exchanges focuses on the purposes for which data will be exchanged, along with the policies and incentives on a case-by-case basis.
Each use case has a specific purpose, type of data exchanged, and legal and technical framework, and rules for interactions between people and systems, along with cost recovery fees or charges.
The Use Case Factory® (UCF) is MiHIN’s formal, lean manufacturing-oriented methodology to define, prioritize, modularize, prioritize, and advance data sharing on a large scale. It is a standardized approach to manage the full life cycle of a portfolio of use cases and associated governance process to motivate their adoption. It was created to manage at both the technical and legal levels and considers other critical factors in the ideation cycle like: sponsor, funding, environment, and operational readiness.
Use Case Factory® Domains and Activities
These five domains make up the core work streams of the Use Case Factory™ (UCF).
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Core Technical Infrastructure
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Legal Framework
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Governance Structures
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Use Case Development (over 4 stages from Conceptualization to Adoption, as depicted)
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Sequenced Onboarding
Use Case ideas are welcomed (encouraged!) from all sources and interested parties. Ideas will be reviewed thoroughly for inclusion in our inventory by MiHIN Leadership and The MiHIN Operations Advisory Committee.
Current Use Cases Supporting Care Coordination
In a healthcare system where individuals often receive medical care from more than one system, care coordination among providers after discharge from an emergency department or hospital in one system, while the patient’s primary care physician resides in another, poses many challenges and often fails to happen. This incomplete sharing of clinical information can adversely affect health outcomes. These use cases support the sharing of clinical health information for the purposes of robust care coordination.
Current Use Cases Supporting Public Health
Timely and complete reporting is crucial to enable quick response to outbreaks that threaten the health of the public. These use cases support the network in its effort to refine technical and workflow processes to make public health surveillance more efficient.
Current Use Cases Supporting Results Delivery
The purpose of these use cases is to deliver real-time lab and other time-sensitive results, providing immediate access to patients’ results.
Current Use Cases Supporting Quality Information and Administration
The purposes of these use cases include: Data exchange activities that help automate and reduce patient or provider burden and improve the efficiency and effectiveness related to healthcare operations and payment; standardizing and streamlining the gaps-in-care process, reporting formats, and information transport resulting in more closed gaps-in-care, improved HEDIS scores for health plans, and better care for patients.
Current Use Cases Supporting Network Infrastructure
The purpose of these use cases is to enable the HIN to provide a service to stakeholders who may use message content within other use cases. The use cases serve to support the foundation of the shared digital infrastructure.