Nine Calif. Health Data Exchange Organizations Sign Trust Agreement
Nine health information exchange organizations in California have signed a trust agreement framework and are working to establish a network for data sharing between unaffiliated providers, Healthcare Informatics reports (Raths, Healthcare Informatics, 9/22).
Background
California's Data Use and Reciprocal Support Agreement, approved July 24, serves as a multi-party trust agreement that allows participants to use the federal Direct and Exchange projects, a standardized, secure method of sending encrypted health data over the Internet.
CalDURSA is separate from the federal DURSA and is tailored to the policies, procedures and operational practices specific to health information exchange in California.
The approval of CalDURSA establishes a safe, secure agreement for health information exchange using the California Trusted Exchange Network, the technical infrastructure for health information organizations within the state, and is compatible with federal guidelines (Mack, California Healthline, 8/1).
Details of HIEs
The California Association of Health Information Exchanges' Board of Directors announced that the organization has joined eight other HIEs in signing CalDURSA:
- Axesson;
- Dignity Health;
- North Coast Health Information Network;
- Orange County Partnership Regional Health Information Organization;
- RAIN Live Oak HIE and Telemedicine Network;
- Redwood MedNet;
- San Diego Health Connect; and
- Santa Cruz Health Information Exchange (CAHIE release, 9/19).
The nine organizations will make up the California Interoperability Committee to adopt guidelines for joining CTEN, according to Healthcare Informatics.
As part of CTEN, the HIEs will be able to:
- Look up provider information and determine how to share data;
- Search for and retrieve medical records; and
- Send and receive Direct secure messages (Healthcare Informatics, 9/22).
According to CAHIE, signing CalDURSA and forming CTEN will ensure data security and patients' privacy while "eliminate[ing] the need for point-to-point agreements and custom technologies" for each HIE (CAHIE release, 9/19).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.