For the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDC), 2023 has been pivotal in preparing for a transformative 2024.
This October, MHDC released the NEHEN 3.0 Request for Proposal (RFP). This initiative calls for proposals from top technology services companies to help build NEHEN's third
iteration. NEHEN 3.0 aims to utilize the latest standards in data and technology to enhance data exchange among healthcare providers, physicians, and payers within Massachusetts' health sector.
NEHEN 3.0 is designed to incorporate X12 EDI for HIPAA-compliant administrative data exchange and HL7® FHIR® application programming interfaces for clinical, patient, and other data exchange. This innovation will enable Massachusetts healthcare organizations to access a unified service, simplifying interoperability and reducing costs. MHDC, committed to its nonprofit mission, plans to offer NEHEN 3.0 with transparent cost-plus pricing, shared governance, and versatile support for a range of health data applications. Our initial focus includes automating prior authorization and the exchange of quality measure data.
Currently, MHDC is reviewing 18 proposals from cutting-edge vendors. We plan to shortlist finalists for further presentations early next year, with the goal of selecting our final partners by the end of February. We have also been meeting with potential investors and stakeholders to build support for NEHEN 3.0.
On December 4, MHDC and the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI) advocated for our vision of healthcare interoperability before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. We highlighted the significant administrative benefits of adopting a shared service like NEHEN 3.0 for automating prior authorization and exchanging quality measures. While healthcare entities should choose technologies that best suit their needs, a unified system like NEHEN 3.0 can simplify connections and reduce costs. Similar to how a single airline registration system supports multiple travel services, NEHEN 3.0 will facilitate healthcare organizations' use of standardized, real-time data for risk management, care management, and business process automation.
We invite you to join us in this transformative journey!
February 7, 14, 21, 28: 11am-12:30pm DGC Working Group
March 7: 9-10am NEHEN Business Users Group
March 6, 13, 20, 27: 11am-12:30pm DGC Working Group
Missed an event? Click HERE for on-demand recordings!
Updates
The DGC continues to keep tabs on industry activity and review new laws and regulations around data, interoperability, health equity, price transparency, privacy and security, and patient access. In the past several months, we have reviewed and submitted comments on RFIs or proposed rules from CMS, ONC, FDA, OCR, the Senate HELP committee, and more on topics as varied as proposed changes to the Hospital Price Transparency rule (since finalized), changes to interoperability and more at the NIH, rules to reduce discrimination against the disabled in health care, and new requirements to simplify patient information about prescription medications.
As noted in our Executive Director’s message above, the NEHEN 3.0 RFP process is well underway, However, NEHEN’s current support will not change for the foreseeable future. The next two years will be spent preparing for the uptake and adoption of new prior authorization and quality measure rules and early integration/testing of these services prior to widespread adoption at the beginning of 2026 (some quality measure requirements start during 2025).
Spotlight Analytics was recently updated with the latest inpatient, emergency department, and outpatient data (2022) from CHIA, along with Rhode Island inpatient and emergency department data (2022) and the 2023 Lown Institute updates. The Spotlight homepage dashboard now features the status of incoming data sets.
2023 was an interesting year with a lot of activity and what we've taken to calling a regulatory tsunami - but also with a surprisingly few of those regulations being finalized (something to look for in 2024).
While technically released at the very end of 2022, the first quarter of the year was dominated by the CMS Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes Proposed Rule and, to a lesser extent, the related CMS Adoption of Standards for Health Care Attachments Transactions and Electronic Signatures, and Modification to Referral Certification and Authorization Transaction Standard proposed rule. The comment period for the first ran through mid-March and for the second through mid-April (after a 30 day extension).
The regulatory timeline chart has a new home. Click HERE
Industry Events
Interested in what's happening with health data, health IT, health equity, patient engagement, regulatory impact, etc.? Check out these upcoming online events:
