- Jun 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 22
THE CONVERGE CONNECTION News from Converge Health Iowa
June 11, 2026
In this update: we celebrate our two newest participants, an update about our June road trip across Iowa plus a new Iowa City roundtable, the latest on Syndromic Surveillance, Direct Secure Messaging, and Image Exchange – and new ways to connect with our team.
PARTICIPANT NEWS Welcome Aboard
Please join us in welcoming our two newest participants to Converge Health Iowa: George C. Grape Community Hospital and Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System.
Every new connection strengthens the network and brings more clinical, behavioral, and social care data together for whole-person care across the region. We are glad to have them with us.
EVENTS
On the Road
We're on the road – starting this week!
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.
Week 1 (June 8-12)
Des Moines
Ames
Sioux Center
Sioux 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
IOWA CITY HEALTH COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE
We will also be hosting a roundtable in Iowa City and would love to have you join us.
DATE: Thursday, June 25, 2026
TIME: 8:30am–10:30am
LOCATION: Courtyard by Marriott Iowa City University Heights (Kinnick Room)
RSVP by June 11th
WHAT'S NEW & COMING SOON
Service & Technical Updates
SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE
We're ready to begin technical discovery for facilities participating in syndromic surveillance. Our project manager, Callie Standridge, will reach out to each facility to coordinate the technical details of connecting to Converge Health Iowa. For those who already onboarded ELR, this will be a similar process. These connections will begin next week and continue through July.
In parallel, Converge is working with the state and NSSP to define Converge's own onboarding process into the syndromic surveillance program. This work will happen concurrently with the facility connections above.
DIRECT SECURE MESSAGING
Direct Secure Messaging (DSM) is a secure way to send clinical information between providers, facilities, and public health agencies. Think of it as a HIPAA-compliant replacement for the fax machine and unsecured email. Messages are encrypted, the sender is verified, and every exchange is tracked. DSM runs on a DirectTrust-accredited platform, so clinical documents, including C-CDAs, can be sent and received instantly. If you would like to explore DSM through the HIE, learn more here.
Ready to get started with DSM? Contact Callie Standridge at callie.standridge@convergehlth.com.
COMING SOON: IMAGE EXCHANGE
We're excited to share that Converge Health Iowa will soon offer Image Exchange, a new service that gives providers across our network secure, seamless access to diagnostic-quality medical images. In partnership with eHealth Technologies, we'll be bringing this capability to our participants in the coming months.
For a provider in the community, this means a complete picture of a patient's imaging history without the wait. Instead of tracking down a CD in the mail or rescheduling a visit because prior studies aren't available, you'll be able to view relevant images ahead of a care event – reducing delays, eliminating unnecessary repeat scans, and supporting faster, better-informed clinical decisions. Whether you're preparing for a referral, coordinating a transfer, or simply need a prior study to confirm a diagnosis, the images will be there when and where they matter most.
We'll share launch details soon. In the meantime, if you're interested in adding image exchange services, please contact Callie Standridge at callie.standridge@convergehlth.com to be placed on a wait list.
ON DEMAND WEBINAR
Supporting Whole Person Care with BH/SUD Interoperability
Thanks to everyone who attended our webinar last week introducing Converge Health Iowa to the behavioral health and substance use treatment community (BH/SUD), discussing how the HIE can be an essential tool for data collection, better care coordination and holistic treatment decisions making. We had a great turn out!
If you didn't get the opportunity to attend, the recording and presentation are now available!
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.
FOLLOW US ON LINKEDIN
If you haven't yet followed us on LinkedIn, we'd love to have you join us online where we post updates several times a week. It's a great place to stay informed of events, webinars, exciting news and fun updates!
This publication is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $209,040,063.71 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, CMS/HHS, or the U.S Government.
