Bill > SB272

This bill aims to enhance Alaska's electronic health information exchange system, which allows healthcare providers to securely share patient health records electronically. Key provisions include clarifying that the system should exchange "related data" beyond just health records, and it designates a qualified entity, referred to as the "designee," to manage the system's development and operation, requiring this designee to have an advisory board with diverse health system stakeholders, including behavioral health providers. The bill also expands the types of funds the department and the designee can accept, clarifies that the designee can be a for-profit or non-profit entity, and modifies the composition of the advisory or governing body to include more diverse representation. Furthermore, it outlines specific purposes for which patient information can be released from the system, such as for treatment, payment, and public health activities, and allows patients to opt out or authorize the distribution of their records. The bill also mandates that the department report annually to the legislature on the system's progress, including participation rates and recommendations for improvement, and clarifies that the definition of the "system" does not include the technical infrastructure owned by participants.

Health and Social Services

Health & Social Services (Senate)

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB272