The California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) has directed its health plans, which cover more than 1.2 million people, to participate in the statewide health information exchange that is under development.
The decision is a shot in the arm for the California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO), which has begun developing a service that will let emergency department doctors obtain at least partial medical records for new patients.
The service will be supported by fees – probably around $25 – for each set of patient records delivered to the emergency rooms, said CalRHIO spokeswoman Karen Hunt. But CalRHIO, a nonprofit, needs upfront capital to build the system. Having lined up a revenue stream from CalPERS members will help in obtaining financing, Hunt said.
“It is wonderful to have the largest employer in the state participating,” she said.
CalPERS, the nation’s third-largest purchaser of health benefits (after the federal government and General Motors), provides health care for state employees, retirees and their dependents. Its health plans are Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California and Kaiser Permanente.
Hunt said CalRHIO leaders are hoping that other employers will follow suit. Also, the health plans may choose to use the service for more of their members, not just those covered by CalPERS.
As a start, CalRHIO plans to deliver to the emergency department laboratory test results and medication histories for ED patients. The data will come from large lab companies and from national systems that link pharmacies with doctors.
Hunt said that information will help ED doctors diagnose problems in new patients and avoid causing harmful drug interactions and other medication errors unwittingly. She said CalRHIO and CalPERS have agreed that the state’s busiest EDs should get the service first, but no agreements with EDs have been signed.
“We are pleased to lead the effort to drive the development of a statewide health information exchange system,” said CalPERS Board of Administration President Rob Feckner. “The electronic exchange of health data will lead to increased safety, higher quality and better coordination of care.”
Government Health IT presents Rick Friedman, director of the division of state systems for the Center for Medicaid and State Operations with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in this recent eSeminar regarding how the federal Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services is partnering with state Medicaid and health and human services officials to bring Medicaid into the digital age. Paul McCloskey, Government Health IT editor, moderates.
