The 2016 Oklahoma Legislature created the Health Information Technology Advisory Board (HITAB), which is intended to advise in the development of a long-range plan for health information technology to the state chief information officer. The board is made up of nine members appointed by the governor and Legislature, each serving a three-year term. One member represents a statewide organization representing urban and rural hospitals (OHA). In the 2019 legislative session, HITAB was replaced with OKSHINE. OKSHINE created the Office of the State Coordinator, which has program oversight over the non-profit data gateways such as MyHealth. Most of the hospital industry is already contracted with and sending data to MyHealth.
Hospitals were uncomfortable with the state owning all of the data outright, so the nonprofit and governance framework was put into place.
In 2022, Senate Bill 1369 created the Office of the State Coordinator for Health Information Exchange and the concept of a state designated entity for HIE operations overseen by the office. The bill also mandates that “all providers” participate in the statewide HIE by July 1, 2023. The HIE coordinator may grant exemptions for financial hardship or technological capability.
Why do we need a health information exchange? Seventy percent of Oklahomans have records in more than one health care delivery system. Health information exchanges help:
- Reduce health care costs associated with redundant testing, hospital readmissions, and emergency department visits.
- Improve care coordination during transitions between health care settings, reduce adverse drug events and missed preventive care.
- Improve patient experience and performance on quality measures.
- Comply with state and federal programs such as MIPS, ONC, and CMS interoperability rules.