Our Mission:
A Collaborative Network
We will enable and support the healthcare community in our region to appropriately and securely share data in order to facilitate care, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes.
Our Vision:
Introducing a Healthier Community
SCHIO is the health information utility that enables improved health care delivery and coordination of services for a healthier community.
Leadership
Bill Beighe
Chief Information Officer
Bill leads the technology development, strategy and health information exchange infrastructure maintenance for SCHIO. Bill was instrumental in the development of SCHIO, starting in 1998 as a consultant and becoming the CIO in 2001. Recognized as a national leader in health information exchange, he is vice-chair and BOD member - California Association of Health Information Exchanges (CaHIE.)
Becky Shoemaker
Project Manager
Becky joined SCHIO in 2012 as the Senior Project Manager. Becky joined SCHIO after working in private practices for over 25 years in the Santa Cruz community, where she served as an operations manager for over 15 years. Becky focuses on the integrated success of the HIO, operational integrity, business development, customer service, policies and security, and business analysis. Becky participates in a number of committees and work groups that focus on data exchange and interoperability.
Board of Directors
Elisa Orona, Executive Director
Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz
Board President
Nanette Mickiewicz MD, CEO
Dignity Health Dominican Hospital
Board Vice President
Van Wong, Chief Information Officer
Central California Alliance for Health
Board Secretary
Tony Balistreri, Chief Financial Officer
Salud para la Gente
Board Treasurer
Leslie Conner, Executive Director
Santa Cruz Community Health Centers
Emily Chung, MPH
Health Services Agency County of Santa Cruz
Adam Davis, MD MAS
Sutter Health
Our History
Established in 1996, the Santa Cruz Health Information Organization is one of the oldest and most advanced multi-stakeholder health information exchanges in the country. Operated by Physicians Medical Group (PMG), a Santa Cruz based independent physician association for twenty years, the health information exchange transitioned to operating as Santa Cruz Health Information Organization (SCHIO) in 2017. SCHIO is now a non-profit corporation led by health care and community service leaders, recognizing that community direction is critical for future success and sustainability.
SCHIO connects more than 100 organizations including primary care and specialist physician groups, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, county clinics, providers of mental health and substance use disorder services, community service providers, national and local reference labs, imaging centers and ancillary providers.
SCHIO operated in the early years on the Elysium system and demonstrated clinical exchange in the first NHIN prototype demonstration in 2007. The health information exchange migrated to the Mirth HIE platform in 2014 – 2015 which added a number of new features including better support for evolving industry standards, advanced electronic forms, the integration of Direct Messaging and successful connection with the eHealth Exchange, the national query network sponsored by The Sequoia Project.
Throughout its history, SCHIO has worked with community healthcare stakeholders to improve connections, add additional providers both within and outside of Santa Cruz County, and increase functionality and capacity to better serve the community.