Substance Use Disorder: Part 2 Data Accessibility Development

HealtheConnections has developed a Substance Use Disorder protocol, commonly referred to as 42CFR or Part 2, for receiving and disclosing data through the health information exchange (HIE). With this new capability, authorized medical professionals are able to immediately view a patient’s information that may previously have been difficult to obtain, giving the provider a more complete picture of the patient’s needs and, ultimately, leading to better quality of care. This protocol is an initial implementation in New York State and HealtheConnections is proud to be one of the few HIEs in the country spearheading innovation in this sector.

In February of this year, a ruling at the federal level by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) prompted HealtheConnections to delve further into a problem that they have been attempting to address for the last five years – the regulation and implementation of protected health information regarding drug and alcohol abuse. Now, through collaborative guidance from SAMHSA, the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), and New York State Office of Mental Health, HealtheConnections is able to offer a solution to its participants.

Part 2 data requires special provisions due to the sensitivity of its content. HealtheConnections is implementing the following provisions to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations:

• Qualified Services Organization Agreement (QSOA) is in place between the Part 2 facility and HealtheConnections
• HealtheConnections uses a facility tag to identify the Part 2 data
• Treatment facility obtains a patient’s ‘Release to Disclose’ to HealtheConnections and only sends data for patients with affirmative consent
• HealtheConnections participants obtain QE consent to access all the patient’s records through the HIE
• HealtheConnections restricts access to Public Health and sPRL

HealtheConnections has developed a policy and the technical capability to meet regulations and allow authorized users to access Part 2 data when caring for a patient. This important information, available through the HIE, can give the practitioner a more comprehensive assessment of what the patient’s medical needs are.

Rob Hack, President and CEO of HealtheConnections, says he hopes that other HIEs will follow closely behind. “Our purpose is to provide the most holistic view of a patient to our healthcare professionals, and give them tools to assist in their decision-making process to provide care,” he says. “This is one more way we are able to do that.”

The capability will be made available to HealtheConnections’ users by October.

For further information, contact Karen Romano, Director of Operations at 315.671.2241 x250 or kromano@healtheconnections.org.