Colorado Health Observation Regional Data Service (CHORDS), a specialized registry,is a regional collaborative partnership between Colorado health providers, public health departments and the University of Colorado Denver to share health data. CHORDS collects, analyzes and presents data from participating partner electronic health records into one specialized registry that can be used to monitor population health. All data is securely exchanged by removing personally identifiable information. CHORDS refers to both the technology platform and a virtual organization of partners. The partners agree to share patient health data that provides insight on local health needs and issues. CHORDS is funded by several federal and state grants and contracts and nonprofit foundations.
CHORDS facilitates access to local health data for communities throughout Colorado to monitor population health trends, study populations or diseases,and evaluate interventions. Electronic health record data provide a level of accuracy, statistical power and geographic detail unavailable through established health surveys, the traditional local public health information source. New community- and clinic-based interventions, outreach programs and preventive services, informed by local electronic health record data, may be more successful because granular data can identify specific communities or populations, measure factors affecting health and target interventions. Electronic health record data can answer many health questions that surveys or claims data typically cannot (for example, which neighborhood has the highest level of hypertension and lowest level of hypertension control).
Meaningful use eligible partners
CHORDS partners include both organizations that contribute health data (health care providers)and authorized partners that may query health data (such as local public health agencies and researchers). To view a list of eligible participants, access the CHORDS Network page.
Health care organizations providing data to CHORDS can contact Denver Public Health request a letter documenting ongoing participation in an established and local health department approved specialized registry.