BREAKING: Nevada State Health Information Exchange board votes to cease operations

Above: from yesterday's published meeting agenda.

Sources report that the Nv HIE has voted to cease operations. This effort was started via a $6.1 million ONC cooperative grant concomitant with the passage of Nevada SB43 (pdf).

Questions linger as to what was done with these substantial funds, given that the HIE had barely begun bare-bones operations several years after issuance of the grant.

The HIE website www.nv-hie.org has apparently been taken down.

NOTE: this is not the HealtHIE Nevada HIE, which is the private not-for-profit statewide health information exchange administered by HealthInsight.

UPDATE

I loved this, from NV HIT Coordinator Lynn O'Mara's notice to prospective HIE participants.

Okay. So, can we assume that DHHS has been HIPAA compliant with respect to having named a/the Privacy and Security Official(s)? Who has/have [1] conducted the requisite HIPAA Security Risk Analysis, mitigated any deficiencies, [2] written the requisite Policies and Procedures, and [3] trained all staff for compliance?

The other odd thing here is the request for a BAA document from each applicant provider. You risk having to deal with complying with umpty differing BAA specifications. You should require that all signups use your HIPAA-compliant BAA.

What a waste.

JAN 28th UPDATE

Full story here

JAN 29TH UPDATE

Full story here

JANUARY 31ST UPDATE

Dear Bobby,

HealtHIE Nevada would like to address any concerns that may have arisen after it was revealed that the Nevada Health Information Exchange (NV-HIE) will shut down on Feb. 7. We also want to clear up any confusion that may have come as a result of this announcement.

We would like to reassure all of our participants that the decision by the Nevada Health Information Exchange does not impact the operations of our organization. As you know, we are not affiliated with NV-HIE nor do we currently receive state or federal funding to operate. We remain an independent, stakeholder led, private, not-for-profit health information exchange. We have a deliberate sustainability plan in place, and we have positioned ourselves for continued growth and success in the coming years.

HealtHIE Nevada has made strides since its inception. We have grown from a single hospital using our health information exchange system to having every major hospital system in the state participating in our HIE. Our system allows health care providers to access and transmit information in an effective compliant manner.

HealtHIE Nevada remains committed to serving Nevada communities by providing healthcare providers timely access to clinical patient information so they can provide patients with the quality care they deserve. We continue to have conversations with the NV Department of Health and Human Services to find ways we can work together to meet our mutual needs and goals.

We encourage you to actively spread the word that HealtHIE Nevada is not affected by the closure of NV-HIE and remains a vital part of our health care community. HealtHIE Nevada looks forward to continuing to serve as a catalyst for improved health care outcomes in Nevada.

Sincerely,
 
HealtHIE Nevada
hie@healthinsight.org
www.healtHIENevada.org
855-4-THE-HIE

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More to come...