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Success Story
Interoperability Without Compromise: Strengthening Rural Healthcare Access Across Hawaii Island
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Success Story Snapshot
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Hawaii Island Community Health Center (HICHC) has long been a trusted source of care in a geographically isolated community, where dedication alone isn't enough and delivering quality care demands seamless access to data. Through its partnership with ELLKAY, HICHC transformed interoperability from a challenge into a strength. In a rural setting with limited backup resources, that connectivity isn't just convenient, it's mission critical.
Organization Overview
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Partner Profile
HICHC is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) serving patients across Hawaii Island, the largest and most geographically complex island in the state. With only a handful of hospitals, limited specialty access, and communities separated by long travel distances, HICHC delivers care where access is often the biggest barrier to health.
Unified
legacy EHR & dental systems
100K+
historical patient charts preserved
Instant Access
to historical records
Audit-Ready
compliant & future-proofed
The Challenge
When Growth Outpaces Systems
Delivering high-quality care across Hawaii Island's rugged, isolated geography takes more than dedication. It takes seamless access to data. That need became mission-critical in 2021, when HICHC formed through the merger of Bay Clinic Health Center and West Hawaii Community Health Center, bringing together multiple EHR and dental systems along with decades of clinical, behavioral health, and financial data. The unfortunate reality was fragmented access to patient histories, a serious risk when patients travel long distances between clinic sites and can't afford gaps in continuity of care. A simple EHR migration wasn't enough. HICHC needed to preserve historical data, reduce complexity, and keep care uninterrupted.
"We had a vast amount of patient information across multiple systems, and we knew we couldn't afford to lose access to that history."
Dr. Milton Leslie
VP, Patient Experience
The Solution
Bridging Legacy Data with Modern Care
Through its partnership with ELLKAY, HICHC implemented a comprehensive interoperability strategy alongside its transition to Epic, bridging legacy systems and modern platforms so past and present data worked together seamlessly.
“Interoperability has to be the background. Patients shouldn’t be starting from square one every time they see a new provider.”
- Dr. Milton Leslie, VP, Patient Experience, HICHC
The ELLKAY Effect
Powering Rural Healthcare Through Connected Data
ELLKAY serves as a trusted interoperability partner, helping HICHC move beyond siloed systems toward a connected, scalable data environment. The partnership enables the organization to innovate confidently, preserve critical health history, and build long-term sustainability in a rural environment where resources are limited and every investment matters. Together, HICHC and ELLKAY demonstrate how interoperability, when done right, becomes a powerful enabler of mission-driven care and healthier communities.
“Healthcare is too complex to move forward alone. Partnerships, like the one we have with ELLKAY, are the key to improving community health."
— Dr. Milton Leslie, VP, Patient Experience, HICHC
The Impact
One Connected View of Patient History
HICHC partnered with ELLKAY to orchestrate its historical data across multiple legacy EHR and dental systems, alongside its transition to Epic.
100,000+ Records Preserved
Preserved access to 100,000+ historical patient records.
Connected Care Teams
Improved coordination across geographically dispersed providers and partners.
Unified Legacy Data
Unified data from multiple legacy EHR and dental systems.
Audit-Ready Data Retention
Supported audit readiness, compliance, and long-term retention
Less Manual Chart Review
Reduced manual chart review and administrative burden.
