I regret to inform you that the Oklahoma Health Care Authority board meeting did not go in our favor. The board voted yes. What does this mean? It means The Health Information Exchange in the state of Oklahoma is going into effect July 1st, 2023.
It does appear there may be some exemptions granted for small private practices such as mine. I’ll believe that when I see it in writing. So far I cannot find this language. This is how their website currently reads:
“The proposed rules allow temporary exemptions based on size, technological capability or financial hardship. OHCA is actively engaging with providers to discuss exemption criteria for specific provider types regarding transmission of data restrictions, with a particular focus on behavioral health, and are expecting to revise the proposed rules to apply exemptions based on provider type.”
What’s the next step? Well, the legislature still has the power to stop this and permanently exempt mental health records completely from the Health Information Exchange.
During the board meeting it was stated, “No patient data of any kind should be submitted to the HIE if the patient does not approve.” This appears to contradict the concept of ALL providers being forced into participating.
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority did create a feedback section on their website. Send them this simple message: “Permanently exempt all Mental Health records from the Health Information Exchange mandate”: oklahoma.gov/ohca/okshine
If you are so inclined, you can also call your legislature and ask them to permanently exempt all Mental Health records from the Health Information Exchange mandate.
If you don’t know your representative, you can search for them at: http://www.oklegislature.gov/findmylegislature.aspx
This small setback is not the end. In the event that the legislature approves without exempting mental health records, I will attempt to obtain an exemption and keep my doors open. Whatever the future holds, I intend to continue to serve Oklahomans to the best of my ability.
