APA WF 22-16 Statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE)
The proposed revisions will update policy to comply with OK Senate Bill 1369 which made changes to the statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE). The proposed revisions include repealing all previously approved language; adding the Office of the State Coordinator for HIE; designating that the Office of the State Coordinator for HIE will oversee the state-designated entity for HIE; and revising the definition of "health information exchange organization" to indicate that it is an organization governed by its stakeholders. Additional revisions will state that beginning July 1, 2023, all qualified health care providers, as defined by OHCA rules and who are licensed by and located in Oklahoma, shall report data to and utilize the state-designated entity for HIE.
Please view the circulation document here: APA WF # 22-16 and submit feedback via the comment box below.
Circulation Date: 08/16/2022
Comment Due Date: 09/15/2022
Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) Meeting: 09/08/2022
Board Meeting: 09/21/2022
Comments
Martha Bean:
I am writing on behalf of Fresenius Medical Care North America d/b/a Fresenius Kidney Care (FKC) regarding the requirement to join the Oklahoma Health Information Network and Exchange (OKSHINE) for licensed heath care providers in the state of Oklahoma. FKC is the largest integrated dialysis provider in the United States of products and services for persons undergoing renal dialysis due to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). FKC provides ongoing dialysis treatment for more than 208,000 patients through a network of more than 2,600 dialysis facilities nationwide. In Oklahoma, FKC operates 39 outpatient dialysis clinics servicing 2,924 patients. ESRD in-center patients treat thrice weekly and home patients treat daily. Medicare-certified dialysis providers such as FKC are already required to electronically submit administrative and clinical data monthly to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) nationwide ESRD Quality Reporting System (EQRS) registry. The system helps improve patient care efforts by reducing the time it takes to collect and analyze patient data. Dialysis centers are not licensed by the state of Oklahoma.
FKC has joined the national HIE CommonWell and the Federal HIE eHealth Exchange (eHx) and has access to other HIEs through the Carequality framework platform. FKC has created patient Continuity of Care Documents specific to ESRD patients based on the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) standards and already shares these documents with providers participating in the national exchanges. FKC supports the Office of the National Coordinators efforts for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) which promotes interoperability across providers. We would like to confirm that dialysis providers do not need to submit duplicative data to OKSHINE and would support the creation of a regulatory exception from participation to confirm this. In addition, we would like to confirm that dialysis centers, as providers not licensed by the state of Oklahoma, do not need to participate in OKSHINE as contemplated by the proposed version of O.A.C. § 317:30-3-35(d)(1).
OHCA Response:
Thank you for your comment. Although your clinic is not licensed by the State of Oklahoma, you employ health care providers that are licensed by the State of Oklahoma and perform services for Oklahomans. Therefore, your clinics operating in the State of Oklahoma would be required to report data to and utilize the HIE.
