CalHHS Data Exchange Framework Takes Aim at Health Equity

The California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) is halfway complete with the development of a data exchange framework that aims to advance health equity, according to a blog post written by John Ohanian, chief data officer and director for the CalHHS Center for Data Insights and Innovation Office.

Ohanian said the state is on track to adopt a data sharing agreement by July 2022 that will govern health information exchange across the care continuum.

The state will require healthcare providers, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric treatment centers, health plans, and physician organizations, to participate in the real-time health data exchange in January 2024.

Ohanian noted that CalHHS is developing the data exchange framework with the guidance of a healthcare stakeholder advisory group. This month, the group submitted a set of eight guiding principles for the framework to the CalHHS secretary.

The principles are rooted in the advancement of health equity, Ohanian sad.

“We must develop and implement data exchange policies, processes, and programs to better understand and address health inequities and disparities among all Californians,” Ohanian wrote.

He explained that advancing health equity requires filling data completeness and quality gaps for historically underserved and underrepresented populations.

“We must collect, exchange, and use actionable and timely information within and across health and human service sectors, to the greatest extent allowable by law, to better understand and manage health needs and manage conditions at the level of the individual, within our communities, and across our populations,” Ohanian wrote.

Real-time health data can also help the state assess the impact of programs, operations, and payment arrangements to identify opportunities for improvement.

Ohanian noted that data privacy and security will guide the state’s data exchange efforts.

“We must collect, exchange, and use health and human service information in a secure manner that promotes trust, ensures data integrity and patient safety, and adheres to federal and state privacy law and policy,” he explained.

The principles also emphasize establishing clear and transparent terms and conditions for data collection, exchange, and use.

“We must conduct all exchange and operations openly and transparently and communicate clear policies and procedures so that all Californians and the organizations that serve them can understand the purpose of data collection, exchange, and use,” he wrote.

Ohanian said the framework must adhere to federal, state, and industry-recognized data exchange standards, policies, best practices, and procedures to advance interoperability.

Lastly, Ohanian noted that all entities participating in collecting, exchanging, and using health and human service information must act as responsible stewards of that information.

Stakeholders will be held accountable for any use or misuse of information other than for authorized purposes under state and federal law and California’s Data Sharing Agreement and Data Exchange Framework policies.

In April 2022, Ohanian said that CalHHS will update the legislature on its progress. By summer, the agency plans to finalize the policies and procedures for the health information exchange framework.