THE CONVERGE CONNECTION News from Converge Health Iowa

May 28, 2026

In this update: a record onboarding milestone, big news about our June road trip across Iowa, the latest on Syndromic Surveillance and Direct Secure Messaging, and new ways to connect with our team.

PARTICIPANT NEWS Welcome Aboard

60+ SIGNED - 100+ FACILITIES We're thrilled to announce that 68 participants have signed agreements with Converge Health Iowa, with 37 live connections to Electronic Lab Reporting, representing over 100 facilities! This is an exciting milestone as we continue to build momentum and grow our participant community. A heartfelt thank you to everyone for your patience, collaboration, and trust as we work through the transition from the previous HIE vendor. We are committed to making this process as smooth as possible and appreciate your continued partnership every step of the way.

WEBINAR Iowa's New Health Information Exchange: Supporting Whole Person Care with BH/SUD Interoperability

DATE Friday, June 5, 2026

TIME 2:00-3:00 PM CT

Register Now

Converge Health Iowa is purpose-built to manage and operate Iowa’s health information exchange on behalf of the state and its participants. This webinar is for the behavioral health and substance use treatment community (BH/SUD), to discuss how the HIE can be an essential tool for data collection, better care coordination and holistic treatment decisions making.  Topics in this webinar will include:

• The HIE’s role in supporting rural health initiatives

• General overview of the HIE platform, features and functions

• Adhering to HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 Privacy Protections

• Future engagement, connecting to the HIE and workflow integration

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FEATURED SPEAKERS

EVENTS

On the Road We're hitting the road this June!

The Converge Health Iowa team is touring the state to meet participants in person. Check for your city in the lists below. Please reach out to Sharon Jhawar at sharon.jhawar@convergehlth.com to coordinate a visit.

We will also be hosting three roundtables and would love to have you join us. If you are in the Sioux City area, you can register now! See the details below. Additional locations and registration details are coming soon. 

Sioux City Leadership Roundtable 

June 11th - 11:30am–1:30pm - The Warrior Hotel 

👉 Register Here

Week 1 (June 8-12)

• Des Moines

• Ames

• Sioux Center

• Sioux City

• Orange City

• Le Mars

• Fort Dodge

• Clarion

Week 2 (June 15-19)

• Carroll

• Manning

• Harlan

• Elk Horn

• Atlantic

• Council Bluffs

• Des Moines

Week 3 (June 22-26)

• Leon

• Knoxville

• Oskaloosa

• Keosauqua

• Clinton

• Guttenberg

• Iowa City

• Marengo

• Grinnell

• Des Moines

WHAT'S NEW & COMING SOON

Service & Technical Updates

SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE

We are on track to begin receiving ADTs that will be used for Syndromic Surveillance by Mid-June. We will not be submitting to the CDC immediately, as we have to go through our testing process for successful de-identification on Syndromic data.

Once we have cleared testing, we will be able to send the data you provided to Converge Health, working with the State HHS and the CDC to coordinate these efforts. We recognize that since the Syndromic feeds were taken down on May 6th there will be a lapse in reporting data. Sending data to Converge Health will allow us to close that gap.

We understand the critical importance of maintaining continuity in Syndromic Surveillance reporting. We are actively working to minimize any disruptions or lapses in data submissions during this transition.

If your organization requires documentation to support this transition, the State will soon update its website to make a formal letter available for download. In the meantime, please contact Sarah Brooks at sarah.brooks@hhs.iowa.gov for direct assistance.  

DIRECT SECURE MESSAGING

Direct Secure Messaging (DSM) services through the previous HIE vendor are scheduled to be discontinued on June 27th. Converge Health Iowa is currently accepting account setup requests in the staging environment, with production access to follow shortly after. 

DSM onboarding is available through two methods: Webmail and XDR. Both require a direct certificate for secure encryption and a LoA3 identity verification process for designated Healthcare Organization (HCO) administrators. Once verified, Webmail setup is largely handled on our end, while XDR requires support from your organization's IT team and EHR vendor to configure necessary server connections and firewall rules. Organizations pursuing XDR are strongly encouraged to engage their IT and EHR teams early to avoid delays. Setup forms for both onboarding methods will be sent out in the coming weeks. 

Start your DSM onboarding process by emailing Callie at callie.standridge@convergehlth.com. 

STAY IN TOUCH

Connect With Us

MONTHLY LUNCH N' LEARNS Converge Health Iowa will be hosting monthly, 45-minute lunch n' learn sessions open to all participants.

These sessions will serve as a dedicated space to share recent accomplishments, provide an overview of what participants are contributing to the exchange, and outline upcoming next steps and expectations. Take your lunch break with us and get the latest updates!

JULY SESSION Thursday, July 9, 2026

12:00-12:45 PM CT Register Now

NEW SLACK COMMUNITY

Join our new slack channel.

Communicate with our team through this direct access channel and get real-time updates as they develop.

Join Now