PA eHealth Partnership Authority
Pennsylvania Patient and Provider
Network (P3N):
Electronic Health Information Exchange
in Pennsylvania
October 2015
Overview
1. Act 121 of 2012
2. Authority Structure
3. Consent Management
4. Super Protected Data
5. Public Health Gateway
6. Key Activities
7. Observations and Next Steps
8. Questions
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Pennsylvania’s Act 121 of 2012
• Governance of independent state agency by Board of Directors
• Develop/establish/maintain statewide electronic health
information exchange
• Develop/maintain directory of healthcare provider contact info
• Develop/adopt interoperability standards
• Develop/maintain statewide consent registry (opt-out model
supports opt-back-in for PA’s network – P3N)
• Develop “certification” requirements for connected entities
• Establish/collect fees to sustain Authority services
• Establish advisory groups and election of 2 ex-officio board
members
• Develop/conduct public information programs
• Annual Report to Governor/Legislature
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PA Patient and Provider Network P3N
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HIOs and HISPs
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The Most Connected Agency You May Not Know
Act 121: Consent
Act 121 of 2012, the PA eHealth
Information Technology Act
requires the Authority to:

Promulgate a consent form
including notice of a patient’s
ability to decline to allow
exchange of the patient’s
electronic health information
in the HIE.

Opportunity to Opt Out & Opt
Back In
Available Consumer Materials:
http://www.paehealth.org/consent
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Opt-Out or Opt-Back-In Form
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Patient Brochure
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Patient Brochure
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Super Protected Data
SPD includes: HIV and AIDS, Mental
Health, and Drug and Alcohol
Recommendation #1: Create Health
Information Exchange education and
guidance on appropriate sharing while
protecting the privacy of Super
Protected Data.
Recommendation #2: Develop a list of
common Super Protected Data codes
and terms.
Recommendation #3: Engage in national
Super Protected Data and data
segmentation conversations.
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Safety Net Providers
Preamble: A Safety Net Provider is a health care or community-based
organization that provides health care services to the commonwealth’s most
vulnerable and at-risk citizens.
Specific Requirements:
A Safety Net Provider must:
1. Provide health care services to individuals regardless of their ability to
pay;
2. Qualify as a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit entity as defined by the IRS; and
3. Serve an uninsured and/or Medical Assistance (MA or Medicaid)
population that accounts for greater than or equal to 30% of the total
Safety Net Provider’s net annual patient revenue or have an MA days
ratio of greater than 30%.
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Public Health Gateway
A more efficient way to independently collect, store, and analyze health-related
data. A better way to communicate with healthcare providers—and each other.

Partnership of the Authority, DOH, and DHS

Funding from CMS

Secure, single point of entry for public health reporting

Streamlines reporting to:
•
DOH Public Health Systems
o
Immunization Registry
o
Cancer Reporting
o
Syndromic (Disease) Surveillance
o
Electronic Lab Reporting
DHS
o Clinical Quality Measures
Initial implementation in place late 2015
•

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Authority Key Activities

Statewide Connections—EXCITING NEWS!!!
• eVantageHealth
• Onboarding: ClinicalConnect HIE, HealthShare Exchange of
SE PA, Keystone Health Information Exchange

Interstate Connections
• New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New
York
• North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Arizona

Onboarding Grant Support
• HIOs (funding for onboarding hospitals and ambulatory
providers)

Outreach and Education
• Suggestions
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How to Engage with Us



The Authority welcomes
your feedback!



Register as a stakeholder.
http://www.paehealth.org/bec
ome-stakeholder
Join a committee and/or work
group
Check out our resources:
http://www.paehealth.org/res
ources
Attend a board meeting
Share your written feedback
to the Authority at rapaehealth@pa.gov
Attend the Annual Conference
Spring 2016
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PA eHealth Partnership Authority
QUESTIONS?
For further information:
www.paehealth.org
Twitter: @PAeHealth
Kelly Hoover Thompson
Chief Counsel & Privacy Officer
kelthompso@pa.gov
717-233-4252
Kelly Hoover Thompson
Chief Counsel and Privacy Officer
Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Authority
Kelly Hoover Thompson was appointed as Chief Counsel and Privacy Officer to the Pennsylvania
Health Partnership Authority in September 2014. Previously she served as the Executive Policy
and Privacy Officer of the Authority. She oversees Pennsylvania’s electronic Health Information
Exchange, focusing on consent management, privacy of patient information, cybersecurity, HIPAA
compliance, interstate connectivity, and alignment of federal and state laws. Her work includes
the review, analysis, and development of related legislation and regulation. Thompson is the
co-founder and co-chair of the Commonwealth’s Privacy and Security Practice Group.
Before returning to the Commonwealth, Thompson was a senior advocate of policy and regulatory matters for The Hospital &
Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP), representing more than 250 members. In that role, she played an integral role in the
Authority’s stakeholder process and the commonwealth’s health information exchange efforts since 2008. For nearly eight years she
handled professional and general liability defense claims, including serving as Senior Attorney Examiner and Statewide Mediation
Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s Mcare Fund. Thompson also has more than a decade of experience as an
adjunct instructor of paralegal studies at Harrisburg-area professional/technical schools. She began her legal career as Assistant Counsel
with the Pennsylvania Senate. Thompson holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Widener University School of Law, where she graduated
with honors and was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and Spanish from the
University of Pittsburgh. Thompson serves on the board of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, focusing on programs to provide safe shelter
for women and children and to raise awareness of and combat human trafficking in the Commonwealth. She also serves on a national
advisory committee to promote organ and tissue donation. Thompson resides in Dauphin County with her husband and four children.
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