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  • News2020-12-08T11:56:26-08:00

    California’s Big Move on Data Exchange

    Probably every physician practice has had the frustrating experience of trying to deliver the best possible care to a patient, only to be hampered by the inability to access relevant health information. Important pieces of a patient’s history, such as prescriptions, chronic conditions, or previous diagnoses may be trapped in data silos held in a million different places, inaccessible to the patient or the physician at the point of care. Myriad studies of the health care system have shown that lack of health information at the point of care often leads to duplication, waste, and delay.

    Despite the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) across the state, this problem persists. A combination of technology challenges, competitive forces, and some legal uncertainty has kept data locked away from both patients and physicians.

    Starting in 2020, the federal government began working to address this problem through the 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule, often known as the “Information Blocking Rule.” This rule clarified in federal regulation that patients have the right to access their own medical information through the technology of their choosing. For the first time, physicians, hospitals, and health plans must make that information available. This rule started the country down the path of widespread and seamless data exchange.

    Now, the California Medical Association (CMA), is working with the State of California to build on the federal regulations to accelerate and expand data exchange efforts here in the state.  After a year of legislative negotiations, State Budget appropriations, and stakeholder meetings, the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) on July 5, 2022, published the Data Exchange Framework.

    The Data Exchange Framework, usually abbreviated “DxF”, will require all actors in the health care system – physicians, hospitals, health plans, skilled nursing facilities, etc. – to make patient data available to all other actors within the bounds of federal and state privacy laws. It will do this by requiring all those actors to sign the Single Data Sharing Agreement (described below). Once they have signed the agreement, practices and others will be contractually obligated to share data across the health care system.

    Importantly, the Data Exchange Framework does not require practices to utilize any particular data sharing technology. The state is not building a “Statewide HIE.” When the law that created the framework was being written, CMA’s position was that physicians should have the flexibility to choose the technology that works best for their practice. Based on CMA’s advocacy, the law prohibits the state from forcing physicians into one system.

    Instead, the Framework is intended to be “technology agnostic,” meaning that practices are free to choose the method of data exchange that works best for them. This could include a local health information organization, a national data sharing network, or other data sharing technology.

    Now that the Framework has been published, the timeline for implementation is going to move quickly. It will be important for practices to familiarize themselves with the requirements of the Framework and begin their preparations as soon as possible. To help practices prepare, this article will give a high-level overview of the Framework, describe some things practices can do to prepare, and point them to some helpful resources CMA is developing.

    The Data Exchange Framework

    The Data Exchange Framework consists of four major components:

    1.      Data Sharing Requirement

    As described above, the Framework includes a legal requirement that physician practices and other health care entities make data available to other signatories of the Data Sharing Agreement. The date by which practices must comply with this requirement depends on the size of the practice. In general, practices of more than 25 physicians will need to be engaged in data exchange by January 31, 2024. Practices smaller than 25 physicians will have 2 additional years, until January 31, 2026.

    2.      Single Data Sharing Agreement

    To govern the Framework, the state has created the Single Data Sharing Agreement (DSA). This document is a contract that all practices are required by law to execute by January 31, 2023. The intent of the DSA is to act as a contract between physician practices, hospitals, health plans, etc., that they will make data available to each other upon request. The DSA lays out the parameters of how that data exchange should happen, predominantly via accompanying Policies and Procedures that describe what data elements need to be exchanged, privacy and security standards, and permitted uses of health data. The DSA also lays out practices’ responsibility to comply with the HHS Data Exchange Board (see below).

    3.      HHS Data Exchange Board

    The State has proposed to create a 5-to-7-member governing body that will oversee data exchange in California. This board will be charged with overseeing and updating the Data Sharing Agreement, ensuring compliance with the DxF, and qualifying health information organizations. The details about this board will be included in a legislative proposal that will be introduced next year.

    4.      Technical Assistance for Small and Safety Net Practices

    The 2022-23 State Budget included $50 million for providing technical assistance to small practices and other safety net providers. As of the writing of this article, there are no additional details to share. CMA is in actively engaged in ensuring that the funding will reach physician practices quickly and efficiently, to help them prepare for the DxF.

    For more details on these components, CMA members can access the CMA DxF Fact Sheet on the CMA website (see below).

    Timeline

    A general timeline for the Data Exchange Framework is listed in the table below:

    Date Requirement
    July 5, 2022 +     CHHS published the final Data Exchange Framework
    First Quarter 2023 +     The Governance Entity (see above) begins their work
    January 31, 2023 +     All health and human services organizations (including physician practices) must execute the Data Sharing Agreement
    January 31, 2024 +     Most health care providers (see table below) must implement the Data Exchange Framework
    January 31, 2026 +     Small and safety net practices (see above) must implement the Data Exchange Framework

     

    As you can see, practices are required to execute (sign) the Data Sharing Agreement in just a little over five months from the writing of this article. The state has not yet announced how that process will take place, so please watch for further announcements from CMA or the State of California. In addition, it is important for physicians to know that you must sign the agreement by January 31, 2023, even if your practice is small enough to be in the cohort that does not have to comply until 2026.

    What Practices Can Do Now

    With these new requirements coming down over the next four years, practices will want to get started on building their game plan for compliance as soon as possible.

    If you participate in a medical group or an IPA, a good place to start is by contacting that entity to inquire about their plans for compliance with the Data Exchange Framework. If you get access to an EHR system or population health platform through the group or IPA, and they already engage in data exchange, an individual practice may not need to sign their own DSA.

    The organization will sign the Data Sharing Agreement on your behalf, and data exchange will be handled at that level.

    For more independent practices, now is a good time to familiarize yourself with the health information organizations (HIOs) that serve your community. Members of the California Association of Health Information Exchange (https://www.ca-hie.org/about/members/) represent the largest and most well-established HIOs in the state. They have already signed an agreement to work together. As more entities become aware of the requirements of the DxF, lead times to sign up with an HIO may become longer; it will help to approach them soon.

    Finally, be sure to work with your EHR vendor, especially if you work with a smaller, specialty system. These systems can require custom interfaces to onboard to an HIO, which can be both time-consuming and costly. On the plus side, some EHRs connect through a national data sharing network, allowing you to comply without adding a new vendor.  Either way, it helps to include your EHR vendor early and often.

    CMA is Here to Help

    To help practices get ready for the DxF, CMA is developing resources as quickly as information becomes available.

    On June 28, 2022, CMA held an online briefing on the Data Exchange Framework. A recording of the briefing is available on the CMA YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/CMAdocs).

    In addition, CMA has published a Fact Sheet that is available to all physician members on the CMA website (https://www.cmadocs.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=xKYGfZ6x7Zs=&portalid=53). The Fact Sheet summarizes the requirements and components of the DxF and includes a Frequently Asked Questions document that will be updated regularly as more information becomes available.

    Finally, CMA members can always call the CMA Member Helpline at 800-786-4262 for assistance.

    August 25th, 2022|Uncategorized|Comments Off on California’s Big Move on Data Exchange

    Top 5 Benefits of Joining an HIE

    To track and securely share patients’ complete medical histories, an ever-growing number of health care providers are participating in health information exchange (HIE). HIE facilitates the transfer of complete patient information via electronic health records (EHRs), which help prevent errors by ensuring that everyone involved in a patient’s care has access to the same information. There are countless benefits to HIE, including the opportunity for providers to enable automatic appointment reminders or follow-up instructions sent directly to patients, prescriptions sent directly to pharmacies, reduced time that patients must spend filling out paperwork, and the potentiality for reduced costs.

    HIE is growing among health providers because the need for data sharing is undeniable, especially during a worldwide pandemic like COVID-19. Although the benefits to joining an HIE are endless, here is a quick breakdown of our top 5:

    1. Ease of access
    •    HIE offers providers the capability to electronically access clinical information from various EHRs to track their patients’ care and medical status.
    1. Strengthened cooperation
    • HIE facilitates the efforts of physicians and clinicians to meet high standards of patient care by ensuring a smooth and streamlined workflow.
    1. Improved communication
    • HIE improves the communication between multiple providers caring for the same patients by ensuring that all involved have accurate and up-to-date information.
    1. Greater precision
    • HIE improves the quality and safety of all patient care delivered by reducing the potentiality for medication and medical errors.
    1. Interoperability  
    • HIE provides a basic although imperative level of interoperability among EHRs maintained by individual physicians and organizations.

    IEHIO is partnered with California’s largest HIE, Manifest MedEx (MX). Manifest MX is currently offering up to $10,000 in incentives for ambulatory clinics in the Inland Empire to join before the end of 2020, although all providers are encouraged to join if they haven’t already. These incentives will change January 1st, so don’t miss out on this opportunity!

    Contact us at info@iehio.org for more information about Manifest MX, to see if your practice qualifies for a monetary incentive, and to start streamlining your workflow immediately!

    December 8th, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Top 5 Benefits of Joining an HIE

    RCMA Members Invited to Join the Local Health Information Exchange – Manifest MedEx.

    RCMA Members are invited to join, at no cost, our local Health Information Exchange – Manifest MedEx.  IEHIO partners with Manifest MedEx (MX), which facilitates information sharing across 400+ healthcare organizations, including the majority of all hospitals in the Inland Empire, medical groups, and five health plans. MX, a non-profit organization, provides real-time health data to help practices and clinics:

    • More accurately identify high-risk patients for care coordination
    • Quickly resolve care gaps
    • Be notified immediately when one a patient is admitted to or discharged from the hospital
    • Provide better care to patients with multiple chronic conditions
    • Know the health history of new patients

    MX’s goal is to have every doctor, medical group, hospital, ACO, and managed care organization have access to complete patient information. We want every patient encounter with an ED visit to be noticed. We want the sickest patients to get the support they need to live healthier lives. We believe you want this too!

    Access these features and more:

    • Longitudinal health records for individual patients across the largest network in California
    • Real-time health data to help practices and clinics provide better care
    • Population dashboards and risk scoring
    • Data feeds and downloads of patient data that connects to your electronic health record (EHR) system

    MX is endorsed by Riverside County Medical Association (RCMA). Participation in MX is FREE to physicians and ambulatory providers.

    Get started today with MX by contacting IEHIO at (951) 686-3342 or info@iehio.org.

    July 9th, 2019|IEHIO|Comments Off on RCMA Members Invited to Join the Local Health Information Exchange – Manifest MedEx.

    State Funding for Interoperability Available

    This year California is investing $50 million to help hospitals and providers participate in health information exchanges (HIEs). It’s called the California Medi-Cal HIE Onboarding Program (Cal-HOP).

    This is great news for all MX participants and HIO partners who are supporting health information sharing through MX. This program will help us grow our network and deepen the data and value we offer to you.

    In order for MX to be qualified to support our participation in the Cal-HOP program, they need your letter of intent by May 28, 2019 .  MX will submit these to DHCS on or before June 1 (the deadline).

     What do you need to do?

    You will need to select MX as your HIE partner. Sign a letter of intent selecting MX as your HIE partner. Note: you can only choose one Cal-HOP HIE partner!

    How will the program work?

    • The program is expected to launch in June 2019 and continue to September 2021
    • The state will make payments to HIEs when hospitals and providers meet specific milestones. These milestones are expected to include:
      • Sign a contract if relevant, and a letter of intent pairing organization with MX
      • Build an ADT feed
      • CURES integration
      • Advanced interfaces
    • MX provider participants will have a chance to demonstrate performance against the program milestones – including CURES and advanced interfaces for those who have already built ADTs
    • Payments will be made directly to HIEs when milestones are met
    • MX will share funds received through the program with both providers and HIOs – we will finalize the approach once the program is officially announced by the state
    • For additional information, please read FAQ

    Lastly, we are asking for your support in growing MX so we can continue to provide you with robust data to care for your patients.  Please, encourage other hospitals and providers to join MX. We are expanding our network across the state and are offering an appealing package to newly joining hospitals including $60,000 to help them get going. Please contact Brittany Weppler (Brittany.weppler@manifestmedex.org) if you have referrals, ideas or questions.

    We look forward to continuing to partner with you to provide the health information you need to care for patients and improve the health of our communities.

    June 14th, 2019|IEHIO|2 Comments

    Ambulances Connecting to California Health Data Network

    It’s been just over two years since Manifest MedEx formed to connect health information for patients and providers across the state of California. The statewide network now has more than 400 participating hospitals, health plans and provider organizations exchanging information in real time for 17 million people — approximately 40% of Californians. By unlocking health data from silos, Manifest MedEx is helping health leaders reduce costs, enhance care and improve patient experience…Read More

    May 29th, 2019|IEHIO|0 Comments

    IEHIO Announces New Website Launch

    IEHIO announces the launch of our new website. This site is an upgrade from the old IEHIE.org. The purpose of this section is to recognize events, projects, and relationships built within the healthcare community between the healthcare practices/organizations and our partner Manifest MedEx. If you’ve worked with us and would like to share a success story feel free to contact us.

    July 27th, 2018|IEHIO|0 Comments

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