California Designates Nine Organizations as QHIOs in Interoperability Framework

Oct. 24, 2023

State says Qualified Health Information Organizations will create an accessible path for health and social services entities to participate in the new Data Exchange Framework

David Raths

The California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS) has announced that nine entities met the application requirements and criteria to be designated by the Center for Data Insights and Innovations (CDII) as Qualified Health Information Organizations.

CalHHS is expecting QHIOs to play a key role in the success of the state’s new Data Exchange Framework (DxF), filling gaps in California’s data exchange infrastructure by facilitating connections between participants through the secure exchange of health and social services information.

The nine organizations that have been designated as QHIOs are:

Applied Research Works, Inc.
Health Gorilla Inc.
Long Health Inc.
Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services (LANES)
Manifest MedEx
Orange County Partners in Health-Health Information Exchange (OCPH-HIE)
SacValley MedShare
San Diego Health Connect
Serving Communities Health Information Organization (SCHIO)

DxF Participants, such as hospitals, medical groups, and skilled nursing facilities, may elect to use a QHIO as an intermediary, or may exchange through other means that comply with the DxF’s Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) and its accompanying Policies and Procedures (P&Ps).

“Qualified Health Information Organizations create an accessible path for countless health and social services entities to participate in the Data Exchange Framework, providing access to actionable data across California’s entire health and social services system,” said Mark Ghaly, M.D., secretary of CalHHS, in a statement. “The added information healthcare providers will have at their disposal, the ease in which it can be securely shared, and the resulting informed and coordinated care that is possible, are fundamental improvements in how California’s healthcare system operates. We are on the brink of ushering in a new era of true continuity of care for all, a remarkable advancement made possible with the Data Exchange Framework and modern data exchange.”

QHIOs provide data exchange capabilities many health and social service entities currently do not possess, especially those serving historically marginalized populations and underserved communities. Connecting these entities and enabling their participation will broaden the reach of the DxF across the state, breaking down information silos which have long stood as barriers to effective, informed care, according to CalHHS.

Many health entities across California—including general acute-care hospitals, physician organizations and medical groups, health care service plans and disability insurers including managed care plans, skilled nursing facilities, and clinical labs—are required to begin exchanging health data by Jan. 31, 2024.

CalHHS noted that for many DxF participants, onboarding with a QHIO may be the right technology solution to meet their DSA requirements. All participants may choose to exchange data through a QHIO, nationwide framework, other intermediary, point-to-point connections, their own platforms or technology solutions, or a combination of these methods.