- Jul 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 22
THE CONVERGE CONNECTION News from Converge Health Iowa
July 10, 2026
In this update, we welcome our newest participant, share insights from our June roadshow, invite you to help us name the new HIE portal, and share service and tech updates.
PARTICIPANT NEWS Welcome Aboard
Please join us in welcoming our newest participant to Converge Health Iowa: Mercy Cedar Rapids. Thank you for trusting us to meet your health data needs.
LISTENING TO IOWA What We Heard: Reflections from the 2026 Iowa Roadshow Community feedback highlights critical data gaps and opportunities
THE JOURNEY AT A GLANCE
This past June, the Converge Health Iowa team traveled across the state to connect directly with hospitals, clinics, public health departments, and behavioral health providers. Our goal was simple: listen to the real, day-to-day challenges the Iowan healthcare community faces, understand local interoperability barriers and unmet data-sharing needs.
THE KEY TAKEAWAYS
Back to the Basics, But Better
Providers consistently validated the need for a neutral, statewide network. The immediate tech priorities are clear:
Rebuilding reliable clinical query portals for emergency and acute care.
Stabilizing electronic lab reporting (ELR) and syndromic surveillance.
Getting a statewide image network (PACS) running so teams can stop physically shipping CDs for specialty and cancer care.
Bringing Behavioral Health Out of the Silo
Whole-person care means treating mental health with the same urgency as physical health. Providers asked for:
Smooth, secure sharing that fully respects 42 CFR Part 2 privacy laws with auditable consent.
Real-time ED and crisis alerts so care coordinators can follow up instantly.
Cutting out the endless cycle of phone calls, faxes, and duplicate data entry for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).
Real-Time Resource Tracking
Managing capacity is a massive daily headache across the state.
Bed Availability: Teams are tired of relying on manual whiteboards or outdated registries. There’s a major appetite for a realistic, regional, workflow-aware bed board to make quick crisis decisions.
EMS Coordination: Paramedics and trauma teams want better feedback loops on patient outcomes and a clearer look at destination capacity before they arrive.
UNMET NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIES
Key "blind spots" were identified where focused data exchange is wanted to improve Iowans' care:
Social Care (SDoH): Hospitals observe rising social needs (housing, food, transport) but report highly fragmented tools. Discussions focused on the value of a neutral, community information exchange for shared outcomes.
Jail & Corrections: Facilities like Dallas County noted a gap in connecting clinical and corrections data. Real-time HIE access could ensure behavioral health medication continuity, creating opportunities to reduce recidivism and ED visits.
The Post-Acute "Black Hole": Multiple organizations confirmed the drop-off in data sharing between hospital discharge and SNF/home health follow-up. Participants strongly desire seamless information flow, rather than high-cost technical interfaces, to support care continuity.
WHAT'S NEXT?
A heartfelt thank you to every organization and individual who opened their doors, shared their candid experiences, and helped us better understand what meaningful data exchange looks like for Iowa. Your time and honesty are what make this work possible.
The insights shared above represent our initial findings from of our statewide assessment.
In the coming weeks, we will be conducting virtual interviews and distributing a statewide survey to broaden our reach across Iowa. Together, these inputs will fuel a comprehensive gap analysis, surface the most common and pressing interoperability use cases, and ultimately inform a three-year roadmap for health data exchange across the state.
If you're an Iowa-based provider or organization that would like to share your perspective, we'd love to hear from you. Please reach out to Sharon Jhawar at sharon.jhawar@convergehlth.com.
Help Us Name The New HIE Portal!
As we prepare to introduce the Converge Health Iowa provider portal, we want its brand to mirror the spirit of the Iowa healthcare community. We are officially inviting our participants to help shape its identity!
Take a quick moment to help us name the platform that will bring Iowa’s healthcare community closer together.
The deadline to submit is July 31, 2026.
WHAT'S NEW & COMING SOON
Service & Technical Updates
SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE IS LIVE!
We’re continuing to make strong progress on syndromic surveillance onboarding. Several organizations are already moving through implementation, and we anticipate the CDC’s required go-live steps will be completed by the end of the month.
DIRECT SECURE MESSAGING (DSM) IS NOW LIVE!
We’re excited to see strong early adoption across the state. The following organizations are already connected:
Boone County Hospital
St. Anthony Regional Hospital & Manning Regional Healthcare Center
Mercy Cedar Rapids
Pella
University of Iowa Health Care & Community Connect Partners
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.
To explore DSM through the HIE, learn more here.
If your organization is not yet connected, we’re here to help make the process as smooth as possible. Still need your DSM connection? Contact Callie Standridge at callie.standridge@convergehlth.com to get started.
Monthly Lunch & Learns
Converge Health Iowa hosts monthly, 45-minute Lunch & 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 share the latest in technology and service updates.
AUGUST SESSION
Thursday, August 6, 2026
12:00-12:45 PM CT
MOST RECENT SESSION July 9, 2026
Didn't get a chance to hear the latest updates? Catch up with our on-demand recording.
STAY IN TOUCH
Connect With Us
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.
