Program History
Program Ends
September 30, 2021
The Health Information Exchange (HIE) Onboarding Program launched in January 2019 and concluded September 30, 2021 with the sunset of federal funding. The Program leveraged significant federal funding to increase Medicaid providers' capability to exchange health information by supporting the initial costs of connecting (onboarding) priority Medicaid providers to a community-based HIE. Provider participation in the program was voluntary and required CCO involvement. By the end of the Program, over $2.4 million had been spent successfully connecting 72 unique entities (109 individual sites), including: 11 behavioral health practices, four oral health clinics, 50 critical physical health entities, and seven major trading partners (hospital/health system/major referral center).
Program Launches
January 18, 2019
The Oregon Health Authority is pleased to announce the launch of the Health Information Exchange (HIE) Onboarding Program. The goal of the Program is to facilitate the spread of electronic health information exchange across the state, specifically for Medicaid providers. Funded through a federal 90 percent match opportunity, the HIE Onboarding Program will provide financial support for certain initial costs of onboarding (connecting) priority Medicaid providers to the contracted HIE, Reliance eHealth Collaborative. Priority Medicaid providers identified for this program include behavioral health providers, oral health providers, critical physical health providers and others. Participation in the HIE Onboarding Program is completely voluntary. The contract is expected to run until September 30, 2021.
Contractor Selected for HIE Onboarding Program
January 17, 2018
OHA is pleased to announce that Reliance eHealth Collaborative was selected to provide onboarding services for the Health Information Exchange (HIE) Onboarding Program. The HIE Onboarding Program will provide financial support for certain initial costs of connecting (onboarding) priority Medicaid providers to a community-based HIE that provides meaningful HIE opportunities and that plays a vital role for Medicaid in that community. The Program will be funded by 90 percent federal funds and 10 percent state funds.
Congratulations to Reliance, and thank you to all the organizations that submitted proposals! OHA would also like to thank everyone who helped develop the program concept. We are grateful for the time and expertise you contributed.
We are pleased to have reached this program milestone, and we look forward to launching the program in Spring 2018. The next step is contract negotiation. Then the contract will be submitted for review and approval to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). After CMS approves the contract, it can be finalized and onboarding under the program can begin. OHA retains the option to reopen the RFP and award additional contracts in the future.
Program Background: The HIE Onboarding Program is one aspect of Oregon’s overall HIT/HIE strategy. It will help support the planned “network of networks” approach to achieving statewide health information exchange, with the goal that all Oregonians have their health information available wherever they receive care. The network of networks model will be developed through a workgroup starting in 2018, to include stakeholders from Oregon’s organizations enabling exchange, including Reliance and other HIEs, and those health information exchange is intended to serve. This workgroup will consider how best to leverage national interoperability efforts to more easily exchange patient information within Oregon’s HIE environment.
Specifically, the HIE Onboarding Program will help Medicaid providers (especially rural providers, behavioral health providers, and non-medical providers) connect to a well-established community-based health information exchange to share health information in order to improve patient care. The program will be voluntary and will help providers who, in the past, may have not been able to connect to an HIE due to financial or other barriers, and providers who have previously been ineligible to receive federal financial support for health IT.
Over the past 18 months, OHA developed the HIE Onboarding Program concept via extensive interviews with a variety of Oregon stakeholders, a review of similar programs in eight other states, the responses to an open Request for Information, and an advisory group composed of a diverse group of Oregon stakeholders. The program concept was refined through public input in multiple forums.
Organizations that submitted proposals were required to meet stringent criteria. They were required to show that they are currently and successfully providing specific, high-value HIE services, have a substantial footprint in Oregon, and have been endorsed by an Oregon Medicaid Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) and that they have a data, funding, or governance relationship with that CCO. They were also required to demonstrate their sustainability, show how they ensure robust privacy and security, and meet other criteria.
OHA anticipates that many providers will choose to participate. Providers who participate will receive financial or in-kind support from the HIE, as well as financial support from OHA to offset or partially offset their administrative onboarding costs. During Phase I of the program, onboarding efforts will focus on certain Medicaid providers in behavioral health, oral health, and critical physical health settings (see Phase I priority Medicaid providers). Phase II envisions supporting non-medical providers including long-term services and supports and social services.
Request for Proposals has closed
December 10, 2017
The opportunity for proposers to submit Proposals for the Health Information Exchange (HIE) Onboarding Program Request for Proposals (RFP), entitled Community-Based Health Information Exchange Onboarding Program (OHA-4330-17), is closed as of December 6, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.
Note: If you have any questions about the RFP process or status of your proposal, contact the RPF’s Single Point of Contact. Please do not direct any questions about the RFP to the staff at OHA’s Office of Health IT (OHIT) or any other state employee. All Proposers must follow the RFP instructions regarding the Single Point of Contact.
Registration open for Pre-Proposal Conference
November 7, 2017
The information about the Pre-Proposal Conference for Community-Based Health Information Exchange Onboarding Program (Request for Proposals (RFP) #OHA-4330-17) is now posted on the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN) at https://orpin.oregon.gov/, along with all other RFP documents.
The Pre-Proposal Conference will be held by webinar only. There is no in-person option.
Please go to ORPIN to get the webinar registration information. Thank you!
Reminder: Do not direct any questions about the Pre-Proposal Conference or the RFP to the staff at OHA’s Office of Health IT (OHIT). All Proposers must follow the RFP instructions regarding the Single Point of Contact. Failure to follow any RFP instructions may result in rejection of your Proposal.
Community-Based HIE Onboarding Program RFP is open!
October 20, 2017
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is pleased to announce that the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Health Information Exchange (HIE) Onboarding Program, entitled Community-Based Health Information Exchange Onboarding Program (OHA-4330-17), is now posted on the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN), located at https://orpin.oregon.gov.
The RFP (OHA-4330-17) and related attachments can be found within the ORPIN system. If you do not have an ORPIN account, please use this guide to set one up.
The RFP closes on December 6, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. (Local Time).
NOTE: Do not direct any questions to the staff at OHA's Office of Health IT (OHIT). All Proposers must follow the RFP instructions regarding the Single Point of Contact. Failure to follow any RFP instructions may result in rejection of your Proposal.
HITECH HIE Onboarding Update - New Guidance
October 19, 2016
OHA is in the planning phase for a new Health Information Exchange (HIE) Onboarding Program. The program will help accelerate the onboarding of Medicaid providers and clinics to existing and emerging health information exchanges.
In February, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released a State Medicaid Director letter updating the guidance for how states can use HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) funds for advancing health information exchange.
Under the new guidance, federal funding is available at the 90 percent matching rate for activities which promote health information exchange for any Medicaid provider (including behavioral health, long term care, corrections, etc.), so long as those activities enable eligible providers meet meaningful use requirements. States are responsible for covering the remaining 10 percent.
OHA’s Office of Health IT will be working with stakeholders and partners to define Oregon’s efforts. Once finalized, Oregon must submit its proposal for the HIE Onboarding Program to CMS for review and approval.
Once approved by CMS, OHA will formally announce the program, including eligibility, criteria, application process, and timelines. OHA anticipates funding will be available in 2018. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to continue to check our website for more details in the coming weeks.