December 2017 MyHealth Board Actions – Data Governance Update

The MyHealth Board of Directors has taken several actions requiring notification of Participants. This document is to satisfy the notification requirements of our policies, but we would be happy to provide more information about any of these if desired.  You may access linked content by copying and pasting the links into an Internet browser’s address bar, if needed. Note that if you are not the right person at your organization to receive notices such as this, please share this with the appropriate person, and also advise Kari Bodenhamer at MyHealth (kari.bodenhamer@myhealthaccess.net or 918-236-3443).

MyHealth’s Implementation of Patient-Centered Data Home™

As has been recently announced (http://myhealthaccess.net/who-we-are/news/), MyHealth’s Board has authorized participation in the nation-wide Patient Center Data Home™ (PCDH) initiative, a secure health data exchange system that helps patients by alerting their health providers when they have a health event away from home, and makes their records available wherever and whenever they need them. This initiative builds on the infrastructure and trust developed in states and communities across the country in non-profit health information organizations similar to MyHealth, where private health data use is overseen by those who receive, provide, and pay for health care.  MyHealth has been piloting this model through a partnership with Arkansas SHARE—a health information organization in Arkansas—since fall 2016. This Board action authorizes MyHealth to expand this effort to connect with other health information organizations and expand the nationwide network to serve over 100 million Americans.

The Board made its vote based on recommendations from the MyHealth Participants who attend the Privacy & Security Workgroup, Operations Management Committee, and Clinical/Quality Committee, where PCDH has been debated, discussed and shaped over many months.  A policy briefing was prepared for MyHealth’s participants, available for review at this link: https://myhealth.sharefile.com/d-sb6c09eb8c2c48b0b. With this announcement, all MyHealth Participants are invited to familiarize themselves with PCDH and ensure their notices of privacy practices do not conflict with this model of data sharing. If Participants have additional questions or wish to restrict their participation in the PCDH program, they should reach out to their primary MyHealth contact (918-236-3434 or helpdesk@myhealthaccess.net) within 30 days of this announcement.

HIO Interoperability Policy Amendment

In connection with MyHealth’s participation in PCDH, MyHealth’s Board has authorized an amendment to Policy #2 to allow for MyHealth to exchange data in a network of networks arrangement with other HIEs. The amendment is scheduled to take effect 30 days after this announcement. Our active Network Policies are available (as always) at http://myhealthaccess.net/policies, and the language of the amendment is available here: https://myhealth.sharefile.com/d-sefbf17d03b546ca8. If Participants have questions or concerns about the amendment, they should contact their MyHealth client service representative (918-236-3434 or helpdesk@myhealthaccess.net)

Approved Analytics Requests

MyHealth’s Board has approved the following Analytics requests:

  1. MyHealth Statistics (1033): Allows MyHealth to aggregate certain measures based on data in its system and share these publicly, for purposes of promoting the value of a community-wide information system, and to provide a public health benefit. Measures include # of records, # of patients grouped by certain diagnoses by geographic region, # ER admissions grouped by region, etc. You may use this link to access the approved Analytics Request document: https://myhealthaccess.sharefile.com/d-saaefbcd5ec542d7b
  2. CPC+ Data Aggregation (1034): Practices and payers participating in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus advance payment program from CMS will rely on MyHealth to calculate the approved quality measures for patients who are attributed to CPC+ practices, with data from all MyHealth data sources. You may use this link to access the approved Analytics Request document: https://myhealthaccess.sharefile.com/d-s65afbd4817e407a9
  3. Accountable Health Communities– Social Determinants Referrals (1035): The Accountable Health Communities grant program enables participating practices to screen Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries patients for social determinants of health in Tulsa and Oklahoma City (city-county areas). This request allows MyHealth to facilitate the handoff to health department care navigators when health providers identify unmet needs for social services (housing, food, transportation, utilities and personal safety). You may use this link to access the approved Analytics Request document: https://myhealthaccess.sharefile.com/d-sedf6a75bce649deb

For your reference, we maintain a list of approved uses of data at MyHealth. The document is called “MyHealth Approved Active Data Use Purposes”, and it is in a shared folder (link: https://myhealthaccess.sharefile.com/home/shared/fo45b825-04d0-4156-ad79-81523d1a4611) on the secure MyHealth file sharing application (Sharefile). You need login credentials to MyHealth’s Sharefile system to use this link (not for the others in this email, however).  You should have a Sharefile account if you’ve participated in MyHealth committee or Board meetings. If you don’t have one, you may set one up by emailing denise.dennis@myhealthaccess.net.

For additional information about any of these data requests, or if Participants wish to restrict the use of their data for any of these projects, they should contact their MyHealth client service representative (918-236-3434 or helpdesk@myhealthaccess.net).