SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (Insert Date) – HASA, the non-profit, community HIE for North, South and West Texas, announced today that it has received a Texas Health Information Exchange Implementation Advanced Planning Document (HIE IAPD) contract aimed at removing cost barriers for HIE participation in Texas. With the goal of increasing HIE use and adoption by Medicaid providers in Texas, the contract is part of the Health Information Exchange Connectivity Project, which is funded by CMS through the HIE IAPD.
At little or no cost, hospitals and physicians can now be part of HASA getting reimbursed on connection fees through the HIE IAPD contract vehicle. Max reimbursement is $25,000 per hospital and up to $10,000 per provider or $30,000 per practice (up to 3 providers max).
“This contract provides an unprecedented opportunity for hospitals and physicians to embrace patient health data exchange in the most cost-effective way,” said Phil Beckett, CEO of HASA. “Ideal for smaller practices and rural hospitals, this initiative also allows us to expand our services throughout Texas – helping providers to reduce costs and enhance the overall quality of care.”
Eligible providers need to have 10 percent of their practices comprised of Medicaid patients or be participating in the Medicare Meaningful Use Program and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System’s (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability programs under Medicare’s Quality Payment Program.
The HIE IAPD contract fully aligns with the Texas Medical Association’s Health Vision 2025 legislative initiative, which aims to remove costs and hospital barriers that stand in the way of HIE integration, and promote the bi-directional data sharing between HIEs and physicians.
Contract Reinforces Overall Rural Expansion for HASA
This new contract reinforces HASA’s vision for helping to enhance health data exchange for rural providers in Texas. For example, the HIE recently re-negotiated its rates with rural hospitals by no longer charging per bed, and having monthly fees be based on the patient census – fully aligning with a hospitals’ overall business volume.
HASA is also enabling rural hospitals that are three to four counties away from larger hospital systems to be able to seamlessly share patient data. The HIE is working with several anchor health systems, including Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., who are helping to connect rural hospitals and physician practices.
“There’s a tremendous white space in Texas when it comes to bringing health information exchange to life for rural hospitals and providers,” added Beckett. “In addition to the HIE IAPD funding, our recent pricing changes, and partnerships with anchor hospitals, we are making it possible for rural providers to share data at such a minimal cost.”
About HASA
HASA is a Texas-based, multi-region collaboration building the safe and secure infrastructure between healthcare providers’ electronic health records (EHRs) making it possible to exchange information across differing platforms. Seamlessly aggregating and sharing critical patient information allows for more efficient and informed care, by reducing duplication and eliminating unnecessary procedures. HASA offers a one-of-a-kind suite of services aimed at hospitals, providers, health plans and patients that include real-time alerts, historical and predictive analytics, a patient health record and community resource collaboration. www.hasatx.org
