El Paso County Department of Health and Environment.

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Healthcare organizations in Colorado Springs have been faced with a growing challenge: how to improve the quality and consistency of care provided to a population of over 90,000 uninsured.

"While the problem is quite large, the responsibility for indigent care is shared amongst several clinics, hospitals, physician networks, and the department of health," explained Rosemary Bakes-Martin, Public Health Administrator of the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment.

This shared responsibility produced a collaboration of partners with a common vision. "Our vision is to create a virtual medical center where the uninsured can explore eligibility in state programs, complete the enrollment process, and receive an ongoing continuum of care," stated Bakes-Martin.

At the heart of this vision is Interlink's HealthTrack, a web-based community health information infrastructure that facilitates two key components of public health: public insurance eligibility and enrollment, and patient care history.

HealthTrack eliminates the need for redundant paperwork and hand-delivered referrals. "HealthTrack reformed the uninsured patient experience in a very positive way," said Ann Zielinski, Community Health Planner for the El Paso County Department of Health. "These patients have never had ongoing medical records maintained. Preventative care was not an option."

For the providers, systematic enrollment...