The California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) recently announced that an online portal is available for hospitals and health agencies to sign the state’s Data Sharing Agreement (DSA).
The document outlines the initial requirements for a health and human services data exchange in California. State law requires health care entities, including hospitals, clinics, and health plans, to sign the DSA by Jan. 31.
As noted in CHA’s fact sheet about the DSA, there are outstanding items that have yet to be developed by CalHHS. They include but are not limited to, the standard for “real time data exchange,” criteria for qualified health information organizations that DSA participants could use to comply with the DSA, and mandatory data specifications.
CHA continues to express these and other concerns, all of which will not be developed before the signing deadline. It is important to note, however, that the statute specifies no penalties for not signing the DSA. Hospital leadership should confer with their information technology and legal staff about signing the DSA.
Contact Trina Gonzalez at tgonzalez@calhospital.org with any questions.