HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

40

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

RECOGNIZING AND DESIGNATING THE HAWAII HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE AS THE ONLY FULLY OPERATIONAL, STATEWIDE HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE OPERATING IN HAWAII.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the establishment and development of health information exchanges within the nation have become increasingly significant in recent years and reflect the changing role technology plays in government and business operations; and

 

     WHEREAS, public health experts and federal and state governments recognize the potential economic and health benefits of health information exchanges and similar electronic health initiatives and are searching for ways to further their growth; and

 

     WHEREAS, the George W. Bush Administration previously pledged $10,000,000,000 toward the development and implementation of health information technology; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Obama Administration continued the promotion of health information technology with the enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; and

 

     WHEREAS, under the HITECH Act, the United States Department of Health and Human Services is spending $25,900,000,000 to promote and expand the adoption of health information technology and meaningful use of electronic health records across the country; and

 

     WHEREAS, these resources, which are viewed as a one-time investment, are providing a critical impetus to facilitate state health information exchange efforts, including those meeting health information exchange meaningful use requirements; and

 

     WHEREAS, in March 2010, all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the five United States territories received State Health Information Exchange (State HIE) Cooperative Agreement Program awards; and

 

     WHEREAS, this federal program funds states' efforts to rapidly build capacity for exchanging health information across the health care system within and across states; and

 

     WHEREAS, although the majority of the funding recipients elected to have a state government as the grantee, Hawaii was one of the states that chose to have a qualified private sector state-designated entity be the funding recipient and administrator for the federal grants; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2006 by Hawaii's leading health care stakeholders, and is governed by a broad stakeholder Board of Directors whose members include and represent:  the Governor's Healthcare Transformation Coordinator, the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, public and private hospitals, independent physicians, community health centers, laboratories, pharmacists, health plans, businesses, and consumers in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the purpose of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange is to improve health care delivery across the State through a seamless, effective, safe, and secure health information exchange; and

 

     WHEREAS, in September 2009, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange became the state-designated entity for implementing the statewide health information exchange that will ultimately feed into the nationwide eHealth Exchange technology network; and

 

     WHEREAS, accordingly, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange received a $5,602,318 State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program grant award from the federal government; was tasked with the challenge to implement and operationalize comprehensive statewide health information exchange services within and beyond the State; and was responsible for $831,281 in matching state funds, which the Hawaii Health Information Exchange raised without state dollars; and

 

     WHEREAS, as an existing independent legal entity, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange was able to utilize existing infrastructure to assist health care providers with electronically exchanging patient health information through a secure mechanism in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations and deploy a robust, fully developed statewide clinical information exchange; and

 

     WHEREAS, since receiving the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program grant award, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange has been working directly with the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the State's interagency Hawaii Healthcare Project Hawaii Health Information Technology Committee, including the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Office of Information Management and Technology, and Hawaii's health care providers, to further develop Hawaii's health information exchange capabilities; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange has thrived and is meeting expectations under the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange started connecting health care providers to its network in 2012 and currently has connected over six hundred users and one hundred eighty physician practices, rural pharmacies, and large health care providers, including Castle Medical Center; Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLP; Pan Pacific Pathologists, LLC; Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc.; Hawaii Pacific Health; and Hilo Medical Center; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange has begun to establish interfaces between providers and the Department of Health; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange also continues to implement data sharing and funding contracts with the State and private-sector stakeholders, including The Queen's Medical Center, Hawaii Medical Service Association, and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Region; and

 

     WHEREAS, as the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program comes to an end, many state governments are looking to replicate Hawaii's model of establishing a joint commitment in partnership with a qualified state-designated entity to operate their statewide health information exchanges; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, as the State's federal grant designee, has been subject to federal oversight for the duration of the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program; and

 

     WHEREAS, this federal oversight includes quarterly reporting requirements; development of a sustainability plan, governance structure, and privacy and security framework to ensure the safety of patient information and knowledge; annual financial audits; and a programmatic evaluation that must be submitted thirty days after the grant's period of performance in 2014; and

 

     WHEREAS, this body finds that the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, a private sector non-profit organization, has been successful as the exclusive service provider designated to work with the State to advance and support the health information exchange needs in Hawaii, including the ongoing implementation of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange's eHealth Exchange network that benefits health care providers and health plans; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Information Exchange has also served as a conduit between health care providers and the State for public health reporting; however, there is a need for a continued working relationship with and resources provided by the State to sustain these crucial services after the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program ends in 2014; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii Health Information Exchange is formally recognized and designated as the only fully operational, statewide health information exchange operating in the State of Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Health Information Exchange, as a partner with the Hawaii State Legislature and Administration, continue to advance health care transformation initiatives, including the electronic exchange of health information; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, Chief Information Officer, Insurance Commissioner, and Executive Director of the Hawaii Health Information Exchange.

Report Title: 

Hawaii Health Information Exchange; State-Designated Health Information Exchange